Lower the thermostat

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Most energy companies will advise homeowners to set the thermostat to 68 degrees. This will prevent the heating system from overworking. Turn it down 5 degrees when not at home or at night, and an additional $70 can be saved each year. Also remember to keep the thermostat constant. Continuously adjusting the thermostat can cause inefficiencies and higher costs.

Set the water heater

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If the water heater is adjusted to 120 degrees, it won’t have to work as hard as it would at a higher temperature. Each time the temperature is lowered 10 degrees Fahrenheit, 3 – 5 % can be saved on water heating costs. If the temperature control settings only offer low, medium, or high: use whichever setting will keep the water warm enough for home use.

Sunlight

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Just because our days are shorter, doesn’t mean the sun can’t offer help. Take advantage of Mother Nature and open window coverings on south-facing windows to warm your home. Remember to close them at night to retain heat. Close the window coverings in rooms that receive no direct sunlight to insulate from cold window drafts.

Cold water

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Not only does washing clothes in cold water prevent colors from bleeding, but according to Energy Star, using cold water to wash clothes can save about $40 a year with an electric water heater and about $30 with a gas water heater.

Insulation

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While these first tips were all no-cost suggestions, insulation is a smart way to keep big bills away. The easiest and most cost-effective way to insulate the home is to add insulation in the attic; however unfinished basement walls and crawl spaces can also be insulated to help trap heat. When insulation is correctly installed and the home is completely weatherized, the average savings can amount to up to 20% of the total heating and cooling costs.

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A household humidifier uses three parts: a fan, a wick, and a reservoir. With these, the humidifier pushes evaporated water into the air, giving it moisture. They work well for dry climates all year round, and come in especially handy in the winter time. Since we’ve shut ourselves and our homes away from the outdoors, we’ve sealed ourselves into a box with almost zero moisture.

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Working much like the vapor rub does on your chest when you have a cold, the humidifier helps open things up in your breathing passages. When all you’re breathing is warm, dry air – your lungs and throat can get uncomfortably stiff and cause awful sore throats. Dry skin is another issue that plagues many of us in the winter time, and in some extreme cases, can cause unbearable itching. Of course many factors play in to dealing with illness and dry skin, but the extra moisture in the air from the humidifier may ease the discomfort we get in the winter and prevent certain ailments.

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In many homes, one humidifier is usually enough, but in larger homes one per floor may be sufficient. Place the humidifier in an open area, away from corners, furniture, and cluttered spaces – to avoid mildew or mold build up. Remember to turn it off when you leave the home, and be aware of the settings that you’ve programmed. If you’re throat and sinuses are stuffy, it may be a good idea to have it on in your room when you sleep. And if that’s still not enough, even having one at work may be beneficial for you and your coworkers.

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In all homes, large and small, each room has it’s own uses; personalities even, and the climate control and temperature is no different. Some rooms are prone to be cooler, such as bathrooms, back rooms and home additions. Some rooms tend to be warmer like those small in size and sealed tightly with few windows. Homes with many floors may also experience some temperature inconsistencies on each of the different levels without any problems from the central heating whatsoever.

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So what exactly does a temperature zoning system do? The goal of this system is to ensure that every room is exactly the temperature you and your family want it to be. That means that some rooms may be cooler or warmer depending on what you decide. Your home can be broken up into 2 to 4 different zones, based on its size, and each zone will be outfitted with it’s own thermostat. That way, you don’t have to heat the upstairs if no one is even up there, avoid heating and cooling unused rooms and wasting money.

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Temperature zoning systems give homeowners the power to choose what rooms need to be heated, and when. It keeps the energy bills low and every room just the way you like it. If you and your family have experienced any inconsistencies or fluctuation in terms of the temperature, a temperature zoning system may be right for you.

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So what does it take to properly insulate a home? The best place to start is in the places that we open and close more frequently than we know: the windows and doors. For most homes, the windows and doors pose the greater issues when it comes to insulation for the very reason that we open them so often. The edges can be thin particularly in older windows. Installing new windows and doors can be expensive and not always necessary; the use of self adhesive weather strips, which can be found at any hardware store, stick easily to drafty edges and are easy to peel away and replace.

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The next place to check is the attic. In older homes, the attic was mainly used as a storage facility and didn’t really require any heating or cooling at any time of the year. Naturally, with that in mind, the insulation of the attic could have been overlooked. As science tells us, warm air rises and can easily rise up and out of that drafty attic. For a quick fix of an uninsulated attic would be to staple up some pink fiberglass insulation, but don’t forget to wear gloves and a mask while installing it.

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Getting the most out of our central heating systems is more important now than ever before. We’re all trying to be more environmentally aware about the impacts of wasted energy, as well as the financial impacts. Insulating our homes properly is a great first step to saving energy, money, and the environment as well as getting everything we can from a central heating system this year.

Any insulation tips we missed? Tell us in the comments below!