Many people dread the winter months as their heating bill becomes out of control. It can be difficult to choose between waking up freezing cold in the night or putting on the heating and racking up a huge bill. However, there are ways in which you can save money on your heating, so here are a few top tips if you struggle with paying your bills in winter.
Finding the Best Supplier
Ensuring that you are with the best and least expensive gas supplier means that your heating bills will be lower. There are many price comparison sites around that can help to save you money, and while your supplier may have been good at the time, prices change, and it may be that another supplier has a great welcome offer. Be careful with these though, as they may look good to begin with, but once the offer is over you may end up paying more. Shop around and check with friends and family which supplier they use. It may be that if you call up your supplier to tell them you’re leaving, they may give you a special offer so that you stay. It may not work for everyone, but it’s certainly worth a try!
Using an Electric Heater
If you basically spend most of your time in one room, then what is the need to heat the whole house and waste both money and heat? An electric heater will use electricity, but this can still be significantly cheaper than heating your whole house. Many people are worried about using an electric heater, but as long as you use it safely, then you can heat your home without any problems. This article by Lasko goes through the pros and cons of using an electric heater so you can choose if purchasing one is the right decision for you. While you may have to buy a heater outright, over the years it could save you a lot of money and is guaranteed to keep you warm.
Insulating Your Home
Ensuring that your home has the right insulation means that when you do turn on your heating system, you aren’t losing half of the heat through the attic, walls, and windows. You can choose to insulate your own home yourself, and there are many DIY guides online - it is easier than you may think. You could also choose to hire a laborer to do this for you if you have no idea how and you don’t want to make the situation worse either. Insulating your home means less energy wasted and also requires less time with the heating system on until it is fully heated. Insulation can also increase the value of your home in the future if you decide to sell.
Wrapping Up
This goes without saying, but keeping yourself warm and wearing layers means less money needs to be wasted on heating bills. There are many of us who are guilty of having the heating on full blast and then becoming too hot and walking around in our shorts and a t-shirt. If this sounds like you, then choosing to wrap up warmer means less heating needs to be used and so less money is spent. Purchasing a onesie is a great way to keep warm and cozy in the winter months. Don’t forget to purchase some blankets for the couch and use an extra thick duvet during the winter months to stay warm. This is also the perfect time to begin drinking cups of green tea before bed to help keep you warm and keep that immune system working well in the cold months when many people can become run down and unwell.
Close Everything!
Another way to keep heat inside the home and cold air outside is to keep things closed. Shutting the doors of all the rooms keeps that heat inside the room and means less air is circulating around. Drilling this into your children means they will remember to close the door after them to keep in the heat. Closing your windows and curtains also keeps any cold air out and the curtains act as an extra barrier against the cold. While you should shut your curtains as soon as the sun goes down, you should still open them throughout the day like you usually would. Despite it not feeling too warm outside, the winter sun shining into your home can heat it a lot more than you would think.
Following these top tips can aid you in saving money on your heating bill this winter, as well as reducing the amount of energy you use. While most of these may require some payment, in the long run they will save you a lot of money and are therefore worth the added cost to begin with.
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