DIY Projects that Will Save You Money in Winter
Winter is upon us and for many that means bundling up and dealing with high heating bills. While many find paying the utility bill a bit troublesome in the summer due to high AC costs, a bitter winter can lead to even higher bills. However, there are a few quick projects you can do around your home to keep that heating bill low during those cold winter months:
Weatherstripping
If you have an older home, there is a good chance that your home has settled over the last couple of years leaving slight cracks between your doors and windows and their frames. These slight gaps between your windows and doors and their frames can cause major cold air drafts to enter your home, forcing your heater to work even harder. To prevent these drafts, place weatherstripping around your doors and windows.
Uncover All Vents
Due to the placement of many vents, several households may block a couple of their household vents for the better placement of furniture or area rugs. Before firing up that heater, be sure to uncover all the vents in your household – even if it requires some rearranging – so that you can allow your heater to be more efficient.
Insulating Curtains
Surprisingly enough, your windows themselves allow for the passing of a lot of cold air, unless they are multi-paned newer windows. To keep the cold air outside, consider hanging some thicker, insulated curtains during the winter. They will also prevent light from coming in, but the savings they will add to your utility bill is definitely worth it. If you don’t want to sacrifice natural light, however, you can also choose to purchase insulating film – a clear, plastic wrap looking film that adheres to your windows via a hair dryer.
Avoid the Fireplace
Unless you have a fireplace insert, using it to supplement your heater this winter may actually cost you more. Fires actually suck heat out of a room so a fire in a traditional fireplace won’t provide much for your home besides ambiance. If you want to keep the heat in your home, keep the fire out and the fireplace damper closed as heat rises and will escape from the chimney if it is not closed.
Even with colder temps and numerous holidays, winter doesn’t need to be synonymous with high spending. In fact, by keeping a little more vigilant about your home, and of that thermostat, you can easily keep your spending reasonable, and keep a few extra dollars in your pocket this winter.
January 27th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
Great list
If you have jolicy windows – those annoying slatted ones that never keep anything out – cutting a piece of insulation foam to size and popping it in the window really helps. We save about $60/month in the winter from using this simple $8 piece of foam. [and we don't have to hear the neighbors or collect bugs] The web link is a picture of ours.