7 Tips to Cut Your Winter Heating Bills
 Portions adapted from the Energy Star website
1. Seal and Insulate Your Home
A good way to reduce energy bills and increase winter comfort is to seal holes, cracks and openings in your home, and add insulation to keep in heat.
- Weather-strip and insulate your attic hatch or door.
- Any hole that leads from the house to a basement, crawl space, attic, or attached garage can waste energy. Cover and seal them with spray foam and rigid foam board if necessary.
- Seal holes with caulk or spray foam where pipes, wires, and vents enter or exit your home.
- Caulk and weather-strip window frames and door frames inside and out.
Consult the US EPA's Home Sealing Do-It-Yourself Guide PDF (2.0MB).
2. Heat More Efficiently
When your heating system is working at top performance and the ducts are delivering air to your rooms efficiently, you will be more comfortable and save money.
- Replace the furnace air filter before the heating season begins.
- If your furnace or boiler is more than 12 years old and/or is 80% or less efficient, consider ENERGY STAR qualified equipment to help save on energy bills.
- Seal heating duct seams with mastic or duct sealant. Foil tape and other duct tapes do not work as they will not adhere long-term to ductwork. Only a contractor trained in sealing duct systems should perform sealing ducts as serious injury or death can result.
- If you have any ducts that run through the attic, a cold unfinished basement, garage, or crawl space outside the thermal boundary (conditioned area), be sure the ducts are well insulated.
- Set back your thermostat when you're asleep or away. Use a programmable thermostat with temperature and time settings to save $100 each year.
Consult the US EPA's Guide to Energy-Efficient Heating and Cooling PDF (2.6MB)
3. Save on Lighting
Lighting can represent 20 percent of home electricity bills, and is one of the easiest places to start saving energy. CFLs cost far less to buy than they did just a few years ago, last for years, and cut lighting electric use by two-thirds.
- Replace the five most frequently used bulbs with CFLs and save more than $60 each year in energy costs.
- If you're using compact fluorescent and will be gone for more than 15 minutes, turn off the lights. Turn off incandescent bulbs any time you don't need them.
4. Power Down Computers and Electronics
Computers and other electronics often use energy even when switched off.
- Activate your computer's power management features, so it powers down when sitting idle.
- Unplug battery chargers and power adapters when not in use.
- Use a power strip and turn it off at bedtime.
5. Save on Water Heating
Water heating is the third largest home energy cost, and typically accounts for 14%-20% of your energy bill. Hot water jackets only cost $10 to $20 and keep more heat in the heater. Put your hot water heater on a timer so it turns off after everyone's showered. Properly scheduled turn-off times can save up to 20 hours of energy use.
Run your hot water faucet and record the temperature. A temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for safety and energy-saving purposes.
6. Leave Breathing Room for Your Refrigerator
An efficient fridge uses less electricity to keep a constant cold temperature. To help your fridge run more efficiently, leave room in the back and on the top for air to circulate. Other tips:
- try to keep the refrigerator and freezer as full as possible to reduce energy consumption dramatically. Use jugs of water to take up excess space.
- clean the refrigeration coils of all dust, pet hair, and other debris for maximum heat transfer and energy efficiency.
7. Buy More Efficient Appliances
Many of us don't like to fix what's not broken. But when it comes to old appliances, a new purchase can pay for itself in energy savings. New Energy Star refrigerators use 40% less energy than a standard model and save much more compared to older models.
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