Winter brings the beauty of cozy evenings and hot drinks, but it can also be an expensive season. From heating costs to energy consumption, keeping warm can put a dent in your budget. Here are seven simple, lesser-known ways to save money and energy this winter without sacrificing comfort.
Winter-Saving Tips You May Not Have Considered
1. Use Sunlight as Your Natural Heater
Think about the way your home warms up on a sunny day, even in winter. By using natural sunlight strategically, you can warm up your home for free. Keep curtains open on south-facing windows during the day to let sunlight flood in. Close them at night to trap the warmth. This way, you can reduce your heating needs during the day and maintain that warmth for the evening.
- Tip: Pair heavy curtains with a light, thermal liner. These will insulate your windows and prevent heat loss once the sun sets.
- Real-Life Impact: Sarah, a mother in Denver, noticed her heating bill drop significantly after she started using sunlight more intentionally. By letting sunlight in, her living room naturally warmed up, allowing her to turn down the thermostat by a couple of degrees in the afternoons.
2. Reverse Ceiling Fan Direction
Illustration: Most people don’t realize that ceiling fans can be useful in winter. By reversing the direction of your fan to spin clockwise, it pushes warm air that has risen to the ceiling back down into the room.
- Tip: Run the fan on a low setting. This gentle circulation helps keep the room warmer, allowing you to rely less on your heating system.
- Real-Life Impact: Imagine you’re sitting in your living room and, even though the heat is on, it doesn’t feel cozy. This simple fan trick makes a noticeable difference without adding to your energy costs.
3. Layer Up Your Rugs for Extra Insulation
Hardwood floors and tiles can feel icy in the winter. Adding an extra layer of rugs or thick mats over cold floors can prevent heat from escaping and make rooms feel warmer. Rugs act like a barrier, trapping warmth and making the room cozier.
- Tip: Look for plush, thick rugs, especially in commonly used areas like the living room and bedroom.
- Real-Life Impact: Mark from Seattle layered his living room rug over a thin carpet mat and felt an instant difference. By insulating the floor, he was able to set his thermostat two degrees lower while staying comfortable.
4. Use a Programmable Thermostat (or Program Your Own)
Illustration: A programmable thermostat can be set to lower the temperature when you’re away or asleep, and then raise it shortly before you return home or wake up. Even a slight decrease while you sleep or when you’re out can lead to significant savings.
- Tip: Set the thermostat to lower by 5–10 degrees at night and when you’re away during the day.
- Real-Life Impact: Erica, a busy professional in New York, started programming her thermostat to turn down during the day while she was at work. Her energy bills dropped by about 10% in just a month, without any loss of comfort.
5. Utilize Door Draft Stoppers to Seal in Warmth
Doors, especially those leading to the outside, often have small gaps at the bottom that let cold air in. A draft stopper, or even a rolled-up towel, can block that cold air and keep rooms warmer.
- Tip: Place draft stoppers or towels at the base of doors leading to outside areas or unheated spaces like garages.
- Real-Life Impact: Imagine sitting in your warm living room but feeling a chilly draft near the door. Adding a simple draft stopper can eliminate that chill. Jane, who lives in a drafty house, felt an immediate difference after using draft stoppers on both her front and back doors.
6. Close Off Unused Rooms
If you’re only using a few rooms in your house, there’s no need to heat unused spaces. Closing off doors to rooms you rarely use helps contain heat in the areas you need it most.
- Tip: Close the vents in unused rooms and keep the doors shut to focus heat where it’s needed.
- Real-Life Impact: Tom and his family live in a large home but only use the family room, kitchen, and bedrooms regularly. By shutting doors to other rooms and closing vents, they noticed a cozier main living area without a hike in heating bills.
7. Place Foil Behind Radiators to Reflect Heat
Radiators often send heat toward the wall they’re installed on. By placing aluminum foil or special reflective panels behind radiators, you can reflect the heat back into the room.
- Tip: Use heavy-duty aluminum foil or buy inexpensive radiator reflector panels that are easy to install and work even better than foil.
- Real-Life Impact: Ann, who lives in an old apartment with radiators, tried this hack and felt warmer in her living room without needing to crank up the radiator. It helped her capture the heat she was already paying for and keep it where it was most needed.
Wrapping
Staying warm during winter doesn’t have to come with high costs. Using these seven tips, you can keep your home cozy without raising your energy bill. Small adjustments, like using sunlight, adjusting your fan, and adding a few layers of insulation, can make a big difference.
