As the snow falls and the temperatures outside begin to drop, most of us start to dread opening our monthly utility bills. But why do our heating bills go up in the winter? More importantly, what can we do about it? In this blog post, we'll answer those questions and provide some tips on how to keep your heating costs down this winter.
3 Reasons Why Your Heating Bills May Be Going Up
1. You're using more energy. In the winter, we tend to spend more time indoors, which means we're using more energy to heat our homes. If you've noticed that your energy use has gone up recently, it could be due to the colder weather.
2. The price of energy is going up. Unfortunately, sometimes the cost of heating your home is out of your control. If the price of natural gas or electricity goes up, your heating bill will most likely increase as well.
3. Your home is less energy-efficient than it used to be. Over time, your home's insulation can degrade, windows can develop cracks, and doorways can become drafty. This can cause your home to lose heat and require more energy to maintain a comfortable temperature. If you think your home's energy efficiency may have decreased, there are some easy DIY fixes you can do to improve it. For example, you can caulk around windows and doors to seal up any air leaks.
What You Can Do To Lower Your Heating Bills This Winter
1. Get a smart thermostat. A smart thermostat can help you save money on your heating bill by automatically adjusting the temperature when you're not home or when you're asleep.
2. Wear warm clothing indoors. Instead of cranking up the heat, put on a sweater or other warm clothing indoors to stay comfortable while saving energy (and money).
3. Seal up any air leaks in your home. As we mentioned before, air leaks can cause your home to lose heat and make it harder (and more expensive) to maintain a comfortable temperature indoors. Fortunately, they're usually easy (and relatively inexpensive) to fix with some caulking or weatherstripping.
4. Use space heaters sparingly. Space heaters are a great way to stay warm without turning up the thermostat for the entire house but be sure to turn them off when you leave the room and only use them when necessary.
5. Let in some natural sunlight during the day. Not only does letting in natural sunlight help cheer us up during those dark winter days, but it can also help warm up our homes for free! Open curtains and blinds during the day to let in as much sunlight as possible.
6. Finally, make sure you're getting routine maintenance for your furnace. A well-maintained furnace will run more efficiently and use less energy than one that's not been serviced regularly.
There are a number of reasons why your heating bills might be higher than usual this winter, but there are also plenty of things you can do about it. With a little bit of effort (and maybe a little bit of money), you can lower your heating bills and keep your home nice and cozy all season long!