Keeping your house warm, especially in the winter, can prove to be a difficult, and many times expensive task. In fact, in 2009, about 48% of energy consumed by American homes was used to regulate temperatures. Many Americans spend far too much money heating their homes, especially when using oil. While oil can be great for other uses, providing 92% of energy used in transportation, the cost of heating with oil can be expensive for heating your home due to fuel oil costs. However, there are many alternatives for heating your home; read on to find out.
Thick curtains
Windows can let a lot of energy and heat out. Replacing thin curtains with thicker curtains can actually save both heat and money. Thick curtains allow less cold air to come in, and allow less heat to leave. This can inevitably save you money on heating costs.
Let sunlight in during day
When trying to save money heating your home, you will want to let in sunlight during the day. If there is direct sunlight, opening you curtains will actually heat your home instead of letting heat out.
Keep areas around radiators clear
It is important to keep the areas around your radiators clear. If there is furniture near your radiators, it could be absorbing the heat let out by the radiators. By removing this furniture and keeping these areas clear, you ensure that the heat being released from the radiators actually heats your house, instead of your furniture.
Insulate house
If you really feel that you are losing heat in your home and wasting precious money, you may want to look into spending a bit to insulate your house. Getting your house professionally insulated will pay off in the long run when you save on heating, as well as cooling costs.
Using oil sparingly
Over 10% of homes in America use domestic oil or propane to heat homes. However, over 80% of these homes are located in the Northeast. If you are a home that uses oil when heating a home, fuel oil costs, especially recent oil prices, may cause your energy costs to be high. However, if you are trying to save money, you should follow the above tips to use your oil sparingly.
How do you make up for high fuel oil costs? What ways do you save money when heating your home? Let us know in the comments!
