Whenever we hear “winter,” we think of skiing, sledding building snowmen, or more somber activities such as cozying up around the fireplace with a hot beverage. However, the less glorious side of winter is how we end up paying a hefty electricity bill as we would often turn up our home furnace or heating system to keep our homes warm and prevent those in our homes from shivering and getting sick. But there’s more you can do to avoid wreaking havoc on your electricity but still stay warm during winter:
Use Your Curtains
Your window coverings can be a very cheap and efficient tool for heat management in your home. In the morning, make sure that you open your curtains to allow as much sunlight (and heat) in, and when then proceed to close them on sundown to insulate your rooms. This is a simple yet effective tool that would help your central heating system from overworking and incurring huge electricity costs. It’s also important to make sure that your windows and even doors don’t have gaps or leaks where the cold air can enter and where the warm air can escape.
Use Timers
An efficient way for you to manage your heating is for you to schedule your thermostat smartly. You can set your boiler to start heating 30 minutes before waking up and at a lower temperature; that way, you can easily adjust it at a higher temperature once you get up. It’s cheaper than turning it on and switching it to a higher temperature immediately.
Be Smart With Your Furniture Placement
It’s possible that your furniture or even appliances are absorbing the heat from your radiator or HVAC system vent. So it’s best to make sure that you move any furniture or appliance out of the way so that the warm air can circulate your home freely, preventing the need to turn it up further just to compensate for lost heat absorbed by your favorite sofa.
Make Some Tea or Hot Choco
A cup of warm tea or any beverage can keep you warm, but it can also help warm up your home. By turning on the kettle and have hot air blow as it boils your water, the heat from the stove and the water vapor can actually help warm your kitchen and the adjacent area and also helps with battling the low humidity that comes with cold weather. Turning on your oven to bake cookies can also raise the ambient temperature in your kitchen as the heat radiates off your oven.
Conclusion
Winter can be a costly season to stay warm, but with these simple economic tips, it doesn’t have to be. But if you’re keen on using your home’s heating system, it’s best to make sure that you have an energy-efficient model or at least keep your current system well-maintained. It’s recommended that, before winter comes, you’d have your heating system looked at and maintained. So make sure to schedule a maintenance check before the snow starts to fall on your Salt Lake City home, which wouldn’t be a problem since there are a lot of furnace repair and maintenance businesses in Utah that can help keep your house warm efficiently.
