10 Easy Tips to Keep Your Home Warm This Winter and Cut Utility Costs

As the temperature starts to take a dip, there are some simple things you can do to help keep your home warm this winter. Easy tips to reduce heat loss and keep utility costs lower.

Front porch of home surround by snow - Tips to keep your house warm

10 Easy Tips to Keep Your Home Warm This Winter and Cut Utility Costs

Winter is here or for some just around the corner depending on where you live. This means that the rising cost of utilities is right around the corner too. This year let’s prepare to keep your home toasty and warm, while keeping those bills down.

There are easy ways that you can keep your home cozy inside without increasing your utility costs. Let’s talk about some ways that you can keep your home warm this winter without having to spend a fortune.

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Keep Your Home Warm This Winter

Let’s start with these easy tips.

Seal Cracks Around Doors and Windows

There are often cracks around windows and doors where cold air can seep in making your house feel cold. Letting that heat that you paid for out. Use caulk to seal small cracks around your window and door frames, and use expanding foam for larger cracks or holes.

If you feel cold air seeping in underneath your exterior doors, consider adding a door sweep to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. If you have a problem with cold air seeping in under interior doors you can make or buy a door snake.

A door snake is a long thin piece of cloth filled with dried beans or rice that will keep cold air from seeping out under the door. You can buy them inexpensively, or make your own with scrap fabric.

Replace Filters

If you have a forced-air furnace, make sure that you change your furnace filter once a month. This will keep the dust down inside of your home, and reduce the amount of wear and tear on your heating system.

Use Your Ceiling Fan

Your ceiling fan can help to push warm heated air that stays around the ceiling down into the room where you can feel it. Make sure to switch your ceiling fan from counter-clockwise in the warmer months to clockwise in the colder months.

Close off Unused Rooms

If you have rooms in your home that aren’t being used daily like a guest bedroom, or home office, consider closing those rooms off by shutting the door and closing the vents in those rooms. This way the warm air can be pushed to rooms that you are using.

Finish up the seeling these rooms off. End by using a door snake to keep cold air from seeping out under the door.

Make Use of the Sun

Solar energy is free so why not use it to heat up your home during the day? Open your drapes, curtains, and blinds during the day to let the sun naturally warm your home. Make sure that you close the windows back off before sunset so that you can keep the warmth inside.

Cook at Home

We all have a tendency to want warm comforting foods when it is cold out, and around the holidays we often bake more too. As you know cooking and baking at home will you save money.

The bonus during the winter is that warm air from the stove will help heat your home during the winter. When you turn your oven off, be sure to leave it slightly cracked. This will allow warmth to spread throughout your kitchen.

Want to learn more about meal planning? Start here by ready this article.

Rearrange Your Furniture

Rearrange your furniture to make sure that all of your vents and returns are clear and that warm air can come into the room. Sometimes we can accidentally block the flow of air vents. Rearrange the furniture in a room when it is not cold outside we forget. Double check to make sure all vents are open to the room.

Use Your Drapes and Blinds

Use your drapes and blinds on cloudy days and at night to help keep cold drafts out of your home. Having a good pair of insulating drapes will help to keep the heat inside. Just make sure that you open them during the day on sunny days to let the sun naturally warm your home.

Don’t Run the Bathroom Fan

Don’t turn the bathroom fan on when you are taking a hot shower or bath. Instead, when you are done with your shower leave the bathroom door open/ Allow that steamy warm air to spread throughout your house to help keep it warmer.

Plus it will help increase the humdity in the air as heat is very drying.

Turn Down the Thermostat

Turning down your thermostat, while you are sleeping or away from home during the day can help you save considerably on your utility costs. You may want to consider installing a programmable thermostat. These are great and will automatically raise and lower the temperature of your home at certain times.

Now Let’s Keep Your Home Warm This Winter

These are just a few of the tips and tricks that you can use to help keep your home warm this winter. And the bonus is reducing your utility costs. Do you have any tips or tricks to share for keeping your home warm this winter?