While the ever popular “turn down the heat” is what we are told when asking how to save on heating costs, but there are more ways.
Checking for drafts and cold air seeping into your home is a great way to cut costs. Take a candle or even a wooden match, and very carefully hold it close to windows, outlets and door frames. If the flame wavers, you have cold air coming into the home. Older, single pane windows are notorious for letting in the cold, and letting out the heat. Replacing old, inefficient windows and sashes can end up saving you more than the initial expense over time, as well as add value to your home.
Caulk and weather stripping around windows and doors is yet another option for how to save on heating costs, as long as it is done properly. Keeping the cold out and the heat in is the primary goal, and every little thing you can do will add up to lower heating bills in the winter, and lower cooling bills in the summer.
Draft stoppers under doors leading to the outside help cut down on the cold air getting into your home, but the old fashioned ones that lay up against the inside of the door have been replaced by the new ones that are slide under and cover both sides. This eliminates having to replace the draft stopper every time you use the door.
Insulation is not limited to the attic and walls anymore. There are outlet and switch-plate cover insulators, and plastic for over the windows to consider as well. A full energy audit, either done by you or a professional, will reveal the biggest energy wasters and help you to find out how to save on heating costs. Infrared photography is sometimes used to show where the greatest heat loss is in the home, and give you a better idea of how to eliminate these energy siphons and save money.
