Saturday's Saving Tips - Staying Warm for Less

I know most of you have been dealing with cooler weather (and maybe even some snow!) for a while now. But here in lovely Alabama, it’s just now thinking about getting cold.

So I thought I’d go over some ways we stay warm for less during the winter!

Run your ceiling fans 24/7/365. In the winter, flip that little switch on your fan. It reverses the blades (speaking from experience, DUST the blades before reversing them!). Heat rises, so when you run your heat in the winter, you are spending a lot of money heating the ceiling. Running your fans in reverse pushes the hot air down. Keeping the room warm. I was a skeptic but I did this last winter and it works!
Adjust your thermostat. During the winter, I’ve learned to cope with the thermostat at 67-68 degrees (versus 70-72 in winters past). If it meant I had to wear a long sleeved shirt in the house, I did it. Running the fans (see above) helps. It can actually feel as warm at 68 with the fan running as it does at 70. I also set the thermostat at 66 at night time. We bundle up! :)))
Take advantage of heat producing appliances. After cooking dinner in the oven I leave the door opened a little bit, taking advantage of the heat coming out. I do the same with the dishwasher when it’s finished drying – leaving the door open just slightly so the heat can come out. We have an open-floor plan house – our living room, kitchen and dining room are all one big open area. I have seen the thermostat in the living room rise 1-2 degrees without the heat running just from leaving the oven or dishwasher door open.
Check for drafts. Make sure there isn’t any cold air seeping in around door seals or windows.
Draw the drapes. I keep heavy drapes on the all the windows on the front of our house. The front of our house faces the setting sun so in the summer, the heat just pours through the windows in the afternoon. The drapes help keep it out. But I also learned that it helps keep the heat in (or the cold out) in the winter. Even though our house is only 5 years old and the seals around the windows are good, the drapes still help. If you’ve ever touched your window panes when it’s cold outside, they’re cold! Keep that cold away from you by drawing the drapes.