6 ways to save cash on your heating bill this winter

Sarah Rose Anderson Sarah Rose Anderson
plaids and cushions, Strigo GmbH Strigo GmbH
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It’s cold outside. Just standing next to a window or door you can feel the icy air rushing inside. In Canada, we’ve tried everything to stay warm in the winter. We don't want to turn our furnaces up to full blast. Everyone dreads getting their heating bills after a cold spell. Heating our homes uses energy that we’d rather save-for the sake of the environment and for our wallets.

We’ve created a round-up of our favourite tips to outsmart the cold and save on your heating costs. We will show you the easiest ways to keep your home warm this season and cut down on your energy use.

1. Using your thermostat right

Thermostats these days are smart. They can be set to meet our exact criteria! When you’re out of the house, it's acceptable to set it to cooler temperatures. When you’re waking up on a chilly morning, you want the house to be warm to gently coax you out from under the duvet. Set your thermostat to respond to when you need the heat. In the bedroom it can be cool while you sleep since cooler temperatures help you fall asleep! 

2. Insulation

Our tip for insulation is best for when your dream home is under construction. Insulation helps regulate the temperature of the house. There’s so much more to insulation than puffy pink fiberglass between the walls. You can insulate the walls of your home, the floors, and the attic. Talk with professionals to find out what kind of insulation will work best in your home.

3. Maintaining insulation

Hopefully once your house is built you won’t have to do much maintenance on it. If you keep finding your heating bill out of control then you may want to fix the insulation in your home. Research what insulation will yield the highest efficiency for you should you have to upgrade or redo your insulation. You want to use insulation that’s going to pay for itself over the lifetime of your home.

4. Fresh air

Cool winter air has a clean and crisp quality that we love. If only we could get that freshness in our homes! Inside, it can get stuffy in the winter since we want to conserve heat by keeping the windows closed. If you feel like airing out the house to get healthy oxygenized air inside, shut off the heat for a while and open up the windows to freshen the home.  That way you aren't paying to heat up the outdoors!

5. Fireplaces

Nothing is as romantic as sitting with a crackling fireplace as the snow gently falls like cotton balls outside. These days, the fireplace is one of the least energy efficient ways to heat your home. Use your fireplace on special occasions and for ambiance. It’s not going to cut it for heating your entire home. It’s a good idea to get a wood stove if you want to heat your home the old fashioned way. It has better efficiency and gives you that nostalgic wood flavour in your home.

6. Carpets and sweaters

Our last tip is to use textiles in your home to keep you warm. Wearing a thick sweater inside and laying down woollen carpets helps you conserve heat and gives you a cozy feel. Put on slippers if you have cold floors and use blankets when you’re on the couch. It’s easy to get spoiled and crank up the thermostat at home to enjoy the feeling of being warm. Think about your heating bills and the environment though and you’ll quickly crank down the thermostat and pull on a sweater.

We hope you enjoyed our guide to help you save money on your heating bills this cold season! For cold weather inspiration, check out our feature on a modern mountain home for the whole family  

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