Keeping Winter Heating Costs Down

If you are in a cold climate the end of summer, has you wondering how are you going to pay those heating bills. Each year it seems the cost of fuel is getting higher and winter heating bills are making families wondering how they are going to pay heating bills and still feed their families. There are some things you can do in order to keep your heating bills down and still put food on the table.

Using plastic to cover every possible window in your house will keep the cold out and the warm in. Most retailers start stocking their shelves in early fall with window plastic. This is very easy to use all you need is a window kit, scissors and a blow dryer. They also make kits that will cover patio doors. Once you have the plastic on you can expect your home to be a little warmer.

Another way to keep the cold out of your home is to use blankets over the windows at night. Hang blankets right over your curtains or blinds to keep out the cold. This is an extra layer of insulation between the plastic you have already put up and the bitter cold outside. These can be taken down each morning to let the sunshine warm your home.

Time to go back to the olden days when most homes where heated by either wood burning stoves or with coal. Families did not have a furnace in their homes so at bed time it would get chilly. Make rice bags for each member of the family. When bed time is getting close, heat up the rice bags and place at the foot of the bed about 10-15 minutes before bed. Each family member will have a nice warm bed to climb into. Since you are using rice bags in the beds, you can turn the thermostat down a few degrees.

Giving each member some warmer bed clothes to wear will keep your heating costs down. Since most heat escapes through the head, a night cap will keep the chill out and a good night sleep will be had by all. Sleep caps don't have to be anything fancy, just a knit hat will help to keep the body heat in. This was done for years by people who did not have heat in the house through out the night.

Moisture adds heat to the home. If a home has some humidity it will feel warmer. There is no need to run a humidifier or boil water to get this effect. When you do laundry, hang some wet clothes up in the house to dry. The water from the clothes will add humidity to the house. This will also help prevent the dry nose and itchy skin that comes with the winter weather.

Turning your thermostat down even 2 or 3 degrees will help to keep your heating costs down. Allowing you to have more money to spend on things your family needs while keeping it warm in the house. These are all simple ideas that do not cost a lot of money to keep the warm in and the cold out.