Do you know what it means when the cold weather comes? It’s time to brace yourself for high home-heating bills. Urgh. Irritating, isn’t it?

But what if I tell you that there are various ways to reduce your bills?

Let the Natural Sunlight In

One of the most simple and easy ways to reduce your heating bills is to let the heat from sun rays to warm your house as natural sunlight can significantly raise the temperature in a room. So, on sunny days, we recommend you open your curtains and blinds and let the sunshine directly into your home. However, make sure that you close them at night before the daytime heat escapes through the glass.

Air-Seal Your Home

Did you know that cold air can quickly enter your home through some small holes and gaps around the edges of your windows and doors? If you want, you can even do an old candle test. All you need to do is light a candle and hold it near the windows and if you see the flame flicker, there is a high possibility that there is an air leak. But, guys, please make sure you don’t burn down the curtains.

But what can you do to air seal your home? The following list will help you out:

• You can apply caulking around the edges of your windows and doors

• If you have single-pane windows, cover them with storm windows

• For more larger gaps on windows, try to use foam sealant

• You can also slide a draft stopper under your door

• Install foam gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on walls

• Inspect and look for air leaks in your insulation and in case there are small gaps, seal them with low-expansion spray foam.

• Replace your door bottoms with those that have pliable sealing gaskets

• The US Department of Energy highly recommends people check for open fireplace dampers and if there are any air leaks, you can seal them with fire-resistant materials such as sheet metal or sheetrock and furnace cement caulk.

Consider a Smart Thermostat

In the contemporary world, smart home products like highly programmable thermostats have become very popular. Why? They can be programmed to adjust heating and cooling temperatures and consider factors such as time of the day. Consequently, they can cut down on your heating bills, make your HVAC systems become more efficient and save the environment by decreasing energy production.

For instance, did you know that switching from a standard thermostat to an energy-efficient smart one can help you to save 10%–12% on your heating bills?

Shut Doors of Unused Rooms

Do you often use the upstairs guest room? If no, then go ahead and close the door. We all know that turning off the lights when not using a room can lower your electricity bills. The same applies to closing the door of an unused space. It lowers your heating bills.

Turn Your Ceiling Fan in Reverse

Yes, you didn’t read it wrong. You can use your ceiling fans to reduce your heating bills. But how? Usually, the fan’s counter-clockwise spin can help cool off a room during summer. However, by reversing the direction into a clockwise spin, the room’s air will be drawn towards the ceiling and it will push the warm air down, which will help you to stay warm. All you need to do is to reverse the spin direction and it is possible as most of the ceiling fans have switches that enable you to change the direction of the motor rotation.

Wear Warm Clothing

Who doesn’t like to wear those thick flannel pj’s and warm cozy socks during the winter season?

By wearing such warm clothes, your heating unit will have less work to do, resulting in a lower heating bill.

If you follow these tips, then you won’t suffer from these usual high heating bills. So, will you consider these factors? Please share your comments!