7 Simple Ways to Cut Your Winter Heating Bill

You do not need a new furnace to spend less on heat this winter. Most savings come from stopping warm air from leaving the house and from running the heat only when you need it.

1. Seal the gaps first

Hold your hand near window frames, door edges and the spot where pipes enter the wall. If you feel cold air, that is money leaving. A tube of caulk and a roll of weather-stripping cost a few dollars and take one afternoon.

2. Lower the thermostat at night

Dropping the temperature by 7 to 10 degrees for eight hours a day is one of the biggest single savings most households can make. A thick blanket does the rest.

3. Let the sun work for you

Open curtains on south-facing windows during the day and close them as soon as the sun goes down. Heavy curtains act like a second layer of insulation at night.

4. Change the furnace filter

A clogged filter makes the furnace work harder for the same heat. Check it monthly in winter and replace it when it looks grey.

5. Reverse the ceiling fan

Most ceiling fans have a small switch on the body. Set it to spin clockwise at low speed. It pushes warm air that collects near the ceiling back down to where you sit.

6. Close vents in rooms you do not use

A guest room that nobody enters does not need to be warm. Close its vents and door, and the heat goes to the rooms you actually live in.

7. Insulate the attic hatch

People insulate the attic and forget the hatch. A square of foam board glued to the back of the hatch door closes one of the most common leaks in older homes.