During winter, many homeowners want to stay indoors and enjoy the warm air provided by the heating system. Unfortunately, the enjoyment is cut short by the substantial heating bills you receive.

At this point, you wonder whether to turn off the heating system, but then again, you remember how quickly you can freeze if you do so.

If you were once at this point and looking for ways to save or reduce the heating bills this winter, you’re at the right place.

This article explains practical ways to help you achieve these results. Let’s dive in.

1. Service Your Heating System

Servicing your heating system regularly enables it to work efficiently, saving you extra dollars while allowing you to use a lesser volume of heating fuel. Therefore, signing up for a service agreement for your heating and cooling system might be a good idea.

The agreement includes an all-year system tune-up and maintenance inspection in such a situation. The tune-up ensures the heating and cooling system performs at its best throughout the year.

Regular system inspection also enables you to identify issues as they arise and fix them accordingly. Routine inspection leaves no room for system failure or disappointments when you need it the most.

That said, it’s vital to reach out to an HVAC contractor in Winchester or your local area to service your system before winter begins.

2. Ensure To Close The Windows And Doors Tightly

Your home is more likely to lose heat during winter through the doors and windows, especially if they aren’t tightly closed. Therefore, before winter comes knocking on the door, go around your home to check whether the doors and windows are in perfect condition to prevent heat loss.

If you feel cool air penetrating your home on the sides of the windows or under the doors, your home is losing heat, and you should act accordingly to prevent it, even if it requires hiring a professional.

If there’s no cool air penetrating your home from the sides of the doors and windows, lock them to prevent wind from opening them wide and for security purposes.

Remember, any cool air seeping into your home during winter requires more heating. As a result, you incur electrical bills that can hurt your budget. To prevent this from happening, ensure no outdoor air is accessing your interiors.

3. Lock The Unused Rooms

Suppose you have a huge home with several rooms. In that case, you might not be using all the rooms. If that’s the case, it’s wise to lock the unused rooms since there might be no sense in heating rooms that are rarely used.

You might also need to close their vents to prevent warm air from escaping your home through them. After sealing the vents and locking the rooms, tuck a cloth under the doors to these rooms to prevent any warm air from escaping from the heated rooms towards the unused ones.

Remember, as much as you don’t need to heat the unused rooms, you also don’t want them to be extremely cold, primarily if water pipes are located near them. Therefore, prevent these rooms from cooling below 40 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid dealing with frozen pipes.

4. Wear Warm Clothes

The warmer the clothes you wear in winter, the less heating you’ll require. It wouldn’t make much sense to wear sleeveless cloth and skip your sweater only to heat your space due to the cold.

On the other hand, a homeowner who ensures they have their warm clothes on doesn’t require too much heating since they’re already warm.

As far as comfortable clothes are concerned, you should also wear warm socks instead of walking around the house barefoot. Also, consider curling in a warm blanket when watching your favorite show at night instead of increasing your home’s temperature.

You can also add an extra blanket to your bed and turn down the thermostat as you sleep.

5. Lower The Thermostat

Adjusting your thermostat a few degrees lower can significantly cut your heating bills. According to experts, lowering your thermostat by seven to ten degrees for about eight hours might result in you saving up to 10% of your annual energy bill. 

It’s also a good idea to lower the heat to a minimum at night or when you’re not home. Nevertheless, it would help if you were careful when lowering your heating to prevent the pipes from freezing.

To eradicate the need to adjust the temperature now and then, consider investing in a smart thermostat that can automatically adjust the temperature depending on your needs.

Conclusion

This winter, saving on your heating bills might not require a genius mind.

It requires simple everyday things such as putting on heavy clothes to eradicate the need to heat your home every second.

On the other hand, ensuring your heating system is functioning efficiently prevents it from straining, hence using less heating fuel.