Three Ways To Decrease Heating Costs For $5 Or Less

Are you tired of looking for ways to reduce your heating costs, only to find that implementing the methods costs more than you'd likely save on heating? Believe it or not, there are ways to reduce your heating bills without spending thousands on the latest heat-coated windows or spray foam insulation. In fact, here's a look at three ways to save on heating without spending any more than $5 – one is completely free!

Make a door snake.

Cold air blowing in from under your door can cause your heater to work extra hard to keep up. Instead of buying a new, better-sealing door, make your own door snake to place at the base of the door. All you need is a piece of fabric that measures about 8 inches wide and the length of your door. Feel free to use recycled fabric from old curtains or sheets. And a big bag of the cheapest rice you can find.

Place a line of tacky glue along one long side of the fabric, and fold the other side over into the glue, creating a long tube. Let it dry for a day. Then, rubber band one end of the tube together. Fill the tube with rice and secure the other end with a rubber band. Place the snake across the junction between the door and the floor – no more cold drafts!

Replace your furnace filter.

When was the last time you replaced your furnace filter? Though experts recommend doing so every month to three months, so many homeowners put this task off – sometimes for years! A new, low-end furnace filter only costs a couple of dollars. Sometimes, you can even find them on sale in 3-packs and pay even less. It is a lot easier for your furnace to blow air through a fresh new filter than an old clogged one, so your heating bills should go down. Also, less dirt will build up on the heat exchanger in your furnace, and a clean heat exchanger operates more efficiently than a dirty one.

Close your curtains.

Leaving your curtains open might let in some light and add ambiance to your space, but it's costing you. When they are closed, curtains trap the cold air that comes in through the windows between themselves and the windows, instead of letting it flow into the room. Close your curtains, and leave them that way until spring.  Your heater won't have to work to combat all of that cold air, and you'll save money.

For more information on heating appliances, contact a company like Economy Air Systems Inc.