If we have been using the oven during the winter or cooler months, we leave the oven door open after baking. The heat is turned off of course but my goodness, all the heat you can "recycle" by simply leaving the oven door open for a few minutes.
I refer to it as "recycled heat" because we've just paid for it to cook/bake with and now we can use it for additional warmth to the kitchen area. You don't want to do this during the summer or hotter months because it will make your kitchen even hotter. However, during the cold winter months, it sure feels good to feel it rolling out of the oven.
By Marsha Fleenor from Greenville, NC
What do you need in winter? Heat and humidification. Disconnect the dryer vent in the winter and let the heat and moisture stay inside. Smells nice too.
I believe everyone these days are complaining about the high electrics bills we are receiving. The company which supplies my electricity keeps going up several times a year.
Advice for saving money on heating costs from the ThriftyFun community. If you have a wood burning stove, this helps run that during the day throughout your home and shut off the oil heat and only use the oil heat at night when you are sleeping.
To save on your heating and cooling costs, keep your closet doors closed (same for dresser drawers, cabinet doors and such). Why pay to heat spaces you are not living in?
Tips and advice to heat your home for less this winter as suggested from the ThriftyFun community. To help heat our home, we winterize by covering all the windows with the plastic made especially for them.
I was wondering if anyone could tell me approximately how much money they've saved on heating bills by putting plastic in the windows to keep drafts out? I know this will depend on a lot of things, but I'm just trying to see if this is worth doing.
I'm on the 2nd floor of a two family house built in the early 1930s. I suspect the windows are the originals. I have a gas furnace that is probably at least 10 years old. I live in Upstate New York where it is pretty much cold and snowy from November through April.
By susan from Syracuse, NY
I don't know how much money you will actually save, but the plastic kits are cheap and easy to install. The plastic keeps the air out and makes the room feel a lot warmer. I do it every winter.
We've also done just a thick plastic you buy in rolls at Home Depot. They cost a few dollars per window and it is definitely worth it in the added comfort. We have a few old windows we are not ready to replace yet, so we cover them and it makes a huge difference.
If you go to WalMart you can get clear plastic on the bolt priced per yard starting under $1.00 and a little over depending on the thickness.
If your windows are drafty; chances are you are losing heat and putting plastic up saves $$ yes I do believe it is worth the small expense for the winter months when compared to the cost of heating bills for the cold season.
My husband made a wooden frame and put WalMart's higher quality plastic on it and we use the same plastic & frame each winter to cover the sliding glass door.
Buy carpet 'tack strips' to seal the plastic to the outer window frames if they are wood. They are easy to remove in the spring and can be used repeatedly.
I can tell you that the plastic will help--I can't tell you how much.
However, consider using something like either the Warm Windows product line from a fabric store, or purchasing radiant barrier material from a hardware store (or you can order it online from Farmtek) and improvising curtains. If you just use them at night, it will help hold heat inside like crazy. The radiant barrier looks like bubble wrap with tinfoil on it, kind of, and you can cover it with fabric and just roll it up in the morning.
Good luck!
Anything that keeps the drafts out will be keep money in your pocket.
For years before we replaced our old windows, we installed the window kits every fall. Almost the instant we finished the window kit installation, the house was not only warmer, but maintained the heat very well through out the entire day.
There was a home renovation show I saw that demonstrated the heat loss in a home with drafty windows. For 6 windows that leaked out the heat, it was the equivalent of having a hole in the
wall 2' X 2' - The window kits are well worth the few dollars they cost. If done properly, it will take you a couple of hours to do the entire house. Make sure you have a blow dryer/hair dryer, as it is crucial to the proper installation. Good Luck & stay warm.
To stop cold air leaks from coming in your unused heat register vents just cut up one of those large magnetic calendars for your fridge. I got 3 covers from a Dollar Tree calendar.
We have propane heat. Heating costs are suppossed to go up by 70% this year. What are simple things that we can do to save money but keep our home warm?
i have electric heat. but 1 thing i do know that has helped in the past is the window cling. i put that up at as many windows as i can. i can tell the difference the room seems warmer and the area near the window isnt windy.
There are many things you can do to help keep the heat inside. Re-caulk all window panes (if you have leaky windows) before winter sets in and put clear vinyl over every window frame on the outside. Use the indoor plastic window sealer on the inside. Close off rooms not used. Seal doors so draughts don't come in through cracks. If you have a ceiling fan, set it to rotate in the opposite direction so warm air is circulated back to floor. (If not set a fan as high as you can pointed at the ceiling and turn on low.) Wear 2-3 layers of clothing (undershirts, long sleeve knit shirts and sweat shirts.) Use electric blankets on beds and to bundle up while watching TV.
I seldom turn up my house heat yet the cost is my biggest expense; how can I reduce it? (I've done all the obvious.)
By Kay from Babylon, NY
To save on heating fuel in the winter, insert the drain plug in the tub when showering and leave it in afterward until the water is cool. It adds warmth as well as humidity to your home. It's such an easy thing to do!
Last year I did an experiment. Would heating with an electric room heater in each room be more expensive than heating with my gas furnace? I found out the electric heaters are much more expensive than turning up my thermostat on my gas heater.
A winter storm is quickly approaching and you listen to the roar of the furnace as it works to heat your home. With every cold snap you count pennies burning away in your home's heating system.