We love winters; they’re cool in our books (literally). The hot coffees, the cozy sweaters, the naked trees, and the chilling chills – there is a whole lot to love about winters. But, what we’re sure you don’t like about this weather is the sharp increase in your utility bills. More importantly, the heating costs shoot up instantly and can get hard to manage. The thing is, in order to save money or bring the bills down to the budget, you can’t really shut your heating down; it’s a necessity. The only option left is to intelligently install measures that will limit the use of heating utilities.
We gathered 5 easy ways through which you can save a good load of money on heating costs:
- Add insulation
Probably the most fool-proof way to save on heating costs is to add/install insulation in your homes. We all know what insulation is – hot air in, cold air out. In a well-insulated home, less warm air escapes from the house during the winter simultaneously reducing the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling. You save money in real-time and on your insurance deductible. It’s a win-win situation.
Plus, adding insulation to your basement and attic will help prevent freezing and bursting of pipes in winter.
- Sealing and insulating heating ducts
If you own a property that was built more than 7-10 years ago, it’s advisable that you thoroughly check the ducts for leaks. Small leaks can cause air to escape, which reduces the efficiency of your system and thus increases the heating costs.
Insulating the ducts in your house is also important as it can help retain heat and energy. Moreover, the loss of heated air amounts up to 60% in non-insulated ducts; it’s best to invest here.
- Automatic/programmable thermostats
When you have insulation in place, you won’t have to worry about your pipes freezing over. Thus, you can switch your heating systems off when you’re not home. Programmable thermostats can be fed to automatically start up at given times. This way, you and your family are warm when you’re at home; and you save money when you’re not.
- Checking in on your air filters
This is a pro-tip that you should follow regardless of the weather. In winters, however, cleaning your air filters becomes imperative because if they are clogged, they won’t let hot air/heat into the atmosphere of your house. So, in response to this, what you will do is turn up the heating; which won’t do any good but increase the bills.
- Using humidifiers
Now, water has a higher capacity to retain heat; the more water/ moisture in the air, the less rapidly temperature changes. Humidifiers can help retain a lot of heat for a longer period of time. Plus, they aren’t that expensive either.
The Takeaway
We hope our tips helped you out. Of course, there are tons of other things which can be done to keep your heating bills down to a minimum, but they aren’t as affordable. At Paradiso Insurance, we care about your quality of life. That is why our homeowner’s insurance is one of the most innovative in the state. We don’t want you to lose your hard-earned money when it can be prevented. So, this winter, follow these tips, keep yourself and your family warm and secure. For a free, no-obligation quote today give us a call at (860) 684- 5270 or visit our website at www.paradisoinsurance.com.