The holidays are a time to cozy up by the fire, have family over, decorate with soft glowing lights, fill the house with the smell of something roasting in the oven, and appreciate the things that surround us.
UNLESS WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT OUR UTILITY BILL...
Do you have an older home that seems impossible to keep the heat in? Here are some easy winterizing tips we have learned to use, that have saved us tons! We are now able to enjoy our farmhouse Christmas without the underlying stress of cost.
1. Is all the heat going upstairs? Hang a blanket to stop the draft at the bottom or top of the stairs. It looks a bit silly at first, but it keeps the house warm with little effort. We use a thick flannel sheet- it does the trick and looks a little festive for the winter season.
2. Everyone suggests it, because it works: winterize those windows! Especially with older homes, heat escapes and cold parades in through single pane windows. Even upgraded windows should still be winterized. Stores like Home Depot sell window kits to accomplish this, but it can also be done with bubble wrap/tape.
3. Diminish that door draft. Many older homes have mysterious areas that bring in a draft from outside, especially under doors. Department stores carry "draft stoppers". These can also be made at home using fabric (or socks) and dry beans, or even foam pipe covers.
4. If you have a stove/fireplace, use it to its full potential! We do not yet have a wood stove, but do know that by collecting firewood throughout the year and preparing, you can save hundreds to thousands on your heating costs, while having a HOT home throughout the winter. Make sure to have a fan nearby the stove/fireplace to circulate the warm air through your home. *Always follow safe procedures when using a fireplace/stove, and do not leave unattended.
5. If you have only a thermostat, learn to "work the system". Before we discovered this trick, we would turn the heat off at night, while we were gone, and after the furnace ran for a few hours. It was cold, miserable in the morning, and actually made our heating system work harder than it does now. We are actually saving more money by keeping the thermostat set to about 65 degrees. If the furnace has to heat the home from 30 degrees to 70 degrees, it uses a lot of energy in a little amount of time. It is better to keep the temperature at a medium, and allow the furnace to "touch up" the heat. This, matched with our other techniques, keeps our home warm all day for such a little cost. I was so surprised to see that our last bill was only two digits! ($80.00 compared to $150.00)
6. Winterize your bed. If you do want to save even more, and turn the heat down at night, (we do not turn it off anymore, however, we do turn it down) make your bed an alternative rather than a punishment. Layer it with flannel sheets, a down comforter, and a cotton comforter. During the really cold evenings, add some layers of knit blankets. There are nights where we wake up in a sweat, just from how warm the blankets keep us! The great part about this is that blankets are CHEAP while producing a good outcome.
Good site for DIY Door Drafts: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/crafts/door-draft-stoppers-draft-snakes-460109#slide-14
Window Winterizing Kits: http://www.homedepot.com/s/window+winterizing?NCNI-5
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