Now that winter is upon us, it’s time to crank up that thermostat to keep warm. Many people spend a fortune heating their homes in the winter, especially in the Northeastern part of the U.S. Living in Scottsdale Arizona, I don’t have much of a heating bill, but you should see my the bill for running the air conditioning in the summer! For those of you who live in the cold climates, we have some “fixes” to help out on heating expenses.

But I can’t afford any upgrades to my home, you might be saying to yourself. Don’t worry – the following advice can be carried out by anybody anywhere, without regard to money, skill or ownership status.

Turn your thermostat down. Research has shown that for every degree you lower your average thermostat setting for the month you will save 10% on your heating bill.

Spend money on a good thick pair or two of warm socks. These will help keep your feet insulated against the coldness of the floor and warm feet equal warm body for most people. The totally cheap option here is to simply wear two pairs of socks, although some people find that annoying and it can develop into a bit of a slip hazard as the outer pair of socks tends to move independently of the inner pair.

Drinking hot liquids such as coffee, tea or hot chocolate will help to warm your body and they can be brewed economically on your stove top or coffee maker. As an added bonus, they will help heat up your kitchen while you are brewing them. Besides warm beverages, soups with a lot of broth also fall in this category since you can sip the broth in much the same way you would drink hot coffee or tea.

Open curtains on windows that are in direct sunlight. This will allow the sun to heat the air in front of the windows which will help to warm your house. In the green energy business, this is known as passive solar heating.

Position desks or chairs in front of sunny windows to warm the spaces without turning on the heat. Plus, the view from the window can make working on winter days a bit more cheery or allow for a nice break from reading.

Closing curtains on windows not in direct sunlight helps seal out the cold that can penetrate through the glass panes. For colder climates or drafty windows, hang a sheet in front of the window and then close the curtains. This will provide an extra layer of insulation from the window.

Don’t walk around in short sleeves alone. Wear an extra layer or two of clothing such as an unbuttoned long sleeve shirt and/or a sweat shirt that can be added or removed as you warm up or cool down.

Keep a couple of throw blankets around your sitting areas that you can use to snuggle under while you are reading or watching television. Also add an extra blanket to the beds so you can turn the heat down at night without getting colder.

Portable space heaters work great to warm the area you are in without having to warm the rest of the house as well. They can be purchased for as little as twenty dollars, or less, and can make a big difference in your heating bill.

Do you have another easy tip to conserve heating energy and cut costs? Tell us about it by leaving a comment!

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