Search Results for: blog one simple way to lower your heating cost

Four Ways to Reduce Your Heating Bill

If the weather INSIDE is frightful because you are afraid of home heating bills, you won’t spend a very pleasant winter. A better solution is to stay warm by finding multiple ways of reducing your heating bill and then combine these strategies to reduce your heating bill to the lowest cost possible. Selective Heating Only heat the rooms you are actually using. Are there any rooms that can be closed off temporarily during the coldest part of the year? Even if your home isn’t zoned, you can make it warmer in the rest of the house by isolated unused rooms. … Continue reading →

Saving on Electricity

With the price of electricity tipped to rise considerably in Australia, and probably the same in other countries, we need to find ways of saving money.So here are a few tips for saving on electricity. Switch off lights when you leave a room. It sounds simple but it’s amazing how many people don’t. Also make sure to switch off appliances when they are not in use. Don’t leave these switched on. Overhead fans are much cheaper to run than an air conditioner and quite effective. Use of blinds, curtains and awnings is another way of keeping heating and cooling costs … Continue reading →

Staying Warm (and Why It’s Important!)

Winter “officially” starts on December 21st for the Northern Hemisphere… but it’s cold right now here in the Pacific Northwest. With the economy the way it is at the moment, it might be tempting to try to keep energy bills lower by keeping the house cooler than you might normally like it. Here are some tips to help you keep warm if you’ve got the thermostat set low. Number one: Check doors for drafts. If you can see daylight around your door, then the cold air can get in. Think about weather stripping or a draft stopper to help keep … Continue reading →

The 12 Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas my frugal love gave to me… A washed out Ziploc bag-gie * On the second day of Christmas my frugal love gave to me… Two darned socks and a washed out Ziploc bag-gie * On the third day of Christmas my frugal love gave to me… Three Sawdust toilets Two darned socks and a washed out Ziploc bag-gie * On the fourth day of Christmas my frugal love gave to me… Four thrift store bargains Three Sawdust toilets Two darned socks and a washed out Ziploc bag-gie * On the fifth day of Christmas … Continue reading →

Spend Less on Home Heating 2

Chilly mornings and nights are starting to occur here. I had vowed to not turn on the heat for at least another week, but when I returned from taking the kids to the park, I found that my husband had given in. He was working from home and doesn’t have my stubborness for saving on home heating costs. It is really the time to start getting prepared for winter and saving as much heat as possible. In the previous blog, I talked about two methods for saving on home heating. Now, here are some more. Service your furnace or heating … Continue reading →

Spend Less on Home Heating

With home heating costs going sky high, you should really take whatever steps you can now to save on the money you will be spending this winter. Oil prices are high, but so is natural gas and propane. Be prepared. Insulate your windows and doors. Drafty homes loose most of their heat through old windows and doors. Even new windows that are not properly sealed can let out precious heat. There are a number of things that you can do to insulate your windows and doors. The first is to add weather stripping and caulk around doors and windows. It … Continue reading →

The Smelly Home Conspiracy

There is a huge market out there for home fragrance products, all of them vying for your hard earned money. The advertisements seems to tell you that if you don’t buy all of this stuff, your home will smell and you won’t have any friends. If your child’s room doesn’t smell like the scent of pineapple or a summer breeze, then you must be a bad parent. And only dirty housekeepers don’t have a home that smells like a fresh lemon or a spring day. Out of the good of their hearts, they will even give their little machines away, … Continue reading →

Surviving a Low Thermostat (4)

How are you doing today with your low thermostat? Are you feeling comfortable? If not, you can read some more of these tips that will allow you to feel warm, even if you turn the thermostat down low. I have to confess today that my thermostat is inched up. it is a whopping 67 degrees in here, much warmer than we usually have it. Today is special because of two things. One, we have an ice and rain storm happening, and I want to keep the house a little warmer in case we lose power. The other reason is that … Continue reading →

Surviving a Low Thermostat (3)

We have been talking about ways to make it easier to feel comfortable while keeping the thermostat low to save on heating costs. I have found that we have been saving a lot by putting up with a cooler home this during this winter. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things that has helped us feel more comfortable. And as an added bonus, I find that our bodies more adjusted to the outdoors, so we can spend more time going for walks, playing in the backyard and exploring a local botanical garden (Yes there is still plenty to do … Continue reading →

Surviving a Low Thermostat (2)

In yesterday’s article, I talked about some practical ways that you can feel comfortable in your home while keeping the thermostat down low. This can save you a ton of money, especially with today’s rising costs in home heating oil, gas and electricity. If you missed that article, you can click here to read it now. Surviving a Low Thermostat. Do you dread being cold at night? Turn the temperature up a bit at night (a degree or two) a few hours before bed. Your body may be winding down and less efficient at retaining heat. The extra heat will … Continue reading →