Lower Your Heating Bills This Winter!
Andover, Massachusetts December 6th, 2010 – Winter has arrived and with it the seasonal bump in your heating bill. Unless you live in the few areas of the USA where seasonal changes don’t occur, you should be expecting quite a large increase in your monthly energy bill. In the Northeast and upper Midwest this jump can be over 50%! While you can’t eliminate the increase entirely, there are many things that you can do as a homeowner or renter to lower your monthly heating bill and thus allow you to use those savings to further pay down your existing household debt. The following is a list of items, some expensive and some free that I suggest all of you consider the next time you look at your heating bill.
- Invest in Insulation and Efficiency. While this is not the cheapest option it is the most effective option. The more effective your heater is and the better your insulation is in your home, the less you will need to spend to keep a constant comfortable temperature in your home. Investing in energy saving heaters might not be in the budget this year, but consider saving up for something like this. New windows that greatly decrease the amount of warm air that escapes in the winter is another expensive but worthwhile investment. Remember, not only does it lower your heating bill, it also increases your homes value if you can promote your home as being energy efficient and low cost.
- Bundle Up. The easiest way to lower your costs is to make sure you are dressed warmly even when in the house. If you can stay comfortable when the home is heated to 62 because you are wearing layers versus 75 with no layers then you will be able to save a lot of money. Keep in mind that until recently most families didn’t heat their home to the point of being able to wear shorts in the winter.
- Use Heating Zones. By using different zones throughout your house, you will be able to keep the rooms where you spend most of your time in warm while the unoccupied ones will be allowed to cool off. Typically, this system works best in newer homes with programmable thermostats. In a house like this, you could set your bedroom temperature to only be warm before you go to bed and before you wake up. During the rest of the day you are not in the room so there is no need to heat it. You can even set it so that your house does not warm up at all during the day while you are at work and then heats up just before you get home each day from your job. It’s a fairly simple, quick, and cost effective way of keeping your home heated and comfortable for all residents.
Readers, have you used any of these strategies to lower your heating bills? If not, are there any other tips you have used that have worked?
Preferred Financial Services is a debt reduction firm certified by the CFC (Center for Financial Certifications) and accredited by U.S.O.B.A. (United States Organizations for Bankruptcy Alternatives). Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, Preferred Financial Services has been a leader in the debt reduction industry since 2003. Preferred Financial Services has acquired some of the best experience in the industry over the past 7 years. In 2009 alone Preferred Financial Services reduced over $16.5 million worth of consumer debt for just $6.4 million, for a savings of about 60%- and over 2,900 accounts were settled on behalf of their clients.
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