Frugal Living Mom

  • Home
  • Learn to Coupon
  • Get Organized
  • Learn to Live Frugally
  • Free Recipes
  • Hacks and Tips
  • About Jen
  • Contact Us

Take Your Heating Bill Down a Notch in 6 Easy Steps

November 8, 2016 by jlpenner 9 Comments

lower-your-heating-billAs temperatures drop all over the country, heating bills are rising.

Whether you live in a small apartment or huge house, no one wants to spend more money on their heat than they need to. By making small changes in your lifestyle and habits, you can enjoy big savings on your heating bill.

Bundle Up. Don’t rely so much on your furnace to keep you and your family warm! There’s no need to be walking around in a t-shirt when you could put a sweater on and turn the thermostat down. To make it easy for your family to get warm, keep blankets in every room of the house and stock up the closets with sweaters and sweatshirts.

Use Budget Billing. Most energy companies allow you to enroll in budget billing. Budget billing takes the average of your heating costs over the last twelve months and charges you that much on a monthly basis for 12 months. At the end of your 12 months, you either get a credit for any overpaid amount or you have to pay the amount that you underpaid. Contact your utilities company to find out how to get started.

Turn Your Fans Off. If you turn your fan on after getting out of the shower to dry the room, turn it off as soon as you’re done. The same is true if you turn on your oven fan to keep smoke away from the stove. While these fans may not seem to put out much power, they can very quickly drop the temperature of your home. This can make your furnace kick in and work harder than it needs to. Turn fans off as soon as you’re done.

You might also like these articles on Frugal Living Mom about saving money around the house:

cable grocerieb5 coffee-tea S_9975_M
How We Get Free
“Cable” TV
How to Save Money
On Food
Making Your “At Home”
Coffee Taste Better
Ways To Use Dawn For
Household Needs

 

Keep the Furnace Filter Clean. Furnace filters often fall by the wayside when it comes to home maintenance. However, they can get filthy and clogged very quickly. This causes your furnace to go into overdrive to try to keep your house warm. Check your furnace filters on a regular basis, and clean or replace them whenever they get dirty.

Use a Programmable Thermostat. While a programmable thermostat may be a bit of an investment, it’s one that often pays off. If there are times during the day when no one is home, the house doesn’t have to be as warm as it is when everyone is home. You can set up your thermostat to be at certain temperatures at different points of the day.

Also, make Sure to grab the FREE online Budgeting Tools at Learnvest:

 

Shrink Wrap Your Windows. You only need shrink wrap and a blow dryer to make this work! Alternatively, you can buy a window insulation kit from Amazon or a home improvement store. By blow drying shrink wrap to the inside of your windows, you can catch drafts and keep them from lowering the temperature of your home.

Anyone else have tips that have helped them reduce their Heating Bill?  Share them below.

This Post Contains Affiliate Links - Disclosure Policy

Filed Under: Series on Frugal Living

Free-Adult-Coloring-Bookoptin


Comments

  1. Jen says

    February 13, 2014 at 9:16 am

    Don't turn the bathroom fan off immediately. The best kinds of fans are programmable so that they turn themselves off after 20-30 minutes. This is the recommended length to get all that moisture out of the air. Have problems with mold growth? You may not be leaving it on long enough or it may be plugged. I've also created plexiglass windows wrapped in metal around the edges that are attached to the inside of my windows by magnets on the window. No more shrink wrap! Works so well!
    Reply
  2. Ray Lowe says

    September 20, 2014 at 7:16 am

    Be aware that some utility companies charge a small monthly fee if you do average billing(budget billing.) be sure to check before signing up for it. An electric company I used to use charged $5 a month just for this privilege.
    Reply
  3. Beth says

    October 6, 2014 at 8:43 am

    Feel around your window sills and doors, if there is cold air coming in around them fill them with weather stripping or some type of insulation. You'll be surprised how much of a difference it makes. Open up your blinds and let the sun in, it can really warm a house. Snuggle more as a family, not only will it keep you warmer, it will bring you closer as a family. Don't forget your pets, I know my dogs like to snuggle.
    Reply
  4. Tracey says

    October 29, 2014 at 3:42 pm

    I love cooking! I really try to use my oven as often as possible. I cook my bacon in the oven instead of on the stove!this also frees up a burner. I make several things over the course of the day in the oven. We have oil heat. So I Really am frugal! I turn it up when everyone gets home afterschool and work,this way it's not wasted, then back down shortly before bed time.
    Reply
  5. Jarmilla Baker says

    December 5, 2014 at 7:41 am

    I like the idea of the plexi glass for the windows with magnets. Is there a tutorial anywhere on how to construct these and also any ideas on where I can buy the plexi glass for this type of project? thanks!
    Reply
    • Mary S says

      November 30, 2015 at 12:44 pm

      Most hardware stores carry Plexiglass and most will cut it to size.Some charge a fee for this.
      Reply
    • Judy says

      November 8, 2016 at 11:01 pm

      I need more information on the magnets how do you get them to stick to glass? Please send more info on how to do this. Is it permanent or can tou take it down in the summer?
      Reply
      • jlpenner says

        April 5, 2017 at 7:38 am

        I think it would need to be metal.
        Reply
  6. Ivory says

    November 14, 2016 at 2:41 pm

    Wow, thanks for all the tips. We've used weather strips, but my handyman guy don't seem to know how to put them on correctly so the doors can close easly. Our home is very drafty, so we hope to install the plexiglass. We have rolled thick towels up and placed them at the bottom of the door to keep wind out and heat in.
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

twitterflm pinterestflm facebookflm

Recent Posts On Frugal Living Mom

  • What are the Best Things to Buy in January?
  • Late Again? How to Pay Your Bills on Time, Everytime
  • Living Within a Budget – It’s Not as Hard as You Think
  • Top 10 Habits of Frugal People
  • 3 Easy Ways to Comparison Shop (and Save Money!)

Recent Posts

  • What are the Best Things to Buy in January?
  • Late Again? How to Pay Your Bills on Time, Everytime
  • Living Within a Budget – It’s Not as Hard as You Think
  • Top 10 Habits of Frugal People
  • 3 Easy Ways to Comparison Shop (and Save Money!)
  • What to Do in a Money Emergency
  • 4 Budget Tweaks You Can Make Right Now
  • 3 Easy Tips That Help You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early
  • How to Use Envelope Budgeting to Stay Out of Debt
  • How to Save Big Time Money on Coffee

Archives

Privacy and Disclosure

  • Frugal Living Mom Privacy Policy
  • Frugal Living Mom Disclosure

Advertise with FLM

Contact us for advertising
Copyright 2023, Frugal Living Mom. All Rights Reserved.
Custom design by Pixel Me Designs
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok