How to Stay Warm While Keeping Heating Costs Down

As the outdoor temperatures begin to slide downward, heating oil will still be a big part of the family utility budget for this winter. Families all over the country are confronting this reality and trying to find ways of coping with the colder temperatures without going further into debt.
Your family can stay warm while you keep a strict control on the thermostat switch. Read on and find inexpensive, imaginative ways to stay warm this winter.

Things You'll Need

• Blankets Hot beverages Weather stripping Hot water heater insulation blanket

Instructions

1. Have a short family meeting to discuss the need to keep heating costs under control. Get your family members' ideas and invest them in the plan to stay warm and--hopefully--solvent this winter.

2. Have a good supply of hot beverage mugs, hot cocoa, teabags and hot cider on hand. If family members desire, keep a small stock of marshmallows for the hot cocoa. Institute a nightly "family hot drink" night and use this time to get closer to your family.

3. Lay in a small supply of warm, light throws and keep some in each room of your house. Ensure each family member has a sweatshirt or light jacket they can put on if they get cold. Suggest "fingerless mittens" for those family members who feel the cold more than others.

4. Set a warm, inviting, crackling fire every evening, or on those where the mercury has plunged particularly low. Invite family members to gather in the room with the fireplace and read, do homework or work on crafts.

5. Keep a close eye on the thermostat control. Make sure each family member knows how high to set it. If you get company and they complain the house is cold, suggest they wrap up in a throw while they visit with you. Don't be shy about explaining your efforts to keep heating costs under control.

6. Change ceiling fans to reverse spin, if possible, so you can distribute the warm air more evenly in the room. When you redistribute the warmer air, you use your heater or furnace for a shorter period of time, which means your heating bill will be lower. This will offset what you pay on your electric bill to run the ceiling fan.

7. Install weather stripping around doors and windows to keep the cold air out and warm air in. Most older homes have older windows, doors and frames, which expand and contract with heat and cold, dryness and moisture. Adding weather stripping around every window and door will prevent warm air from escaping your home; it will also keep the cold outdoor air from coming into your home.

8. Install a water heater insulation blanket to reduce heat loss. Water heaters are required to be set at a temperature of 140 degrees F in order to prevent hot water burns. By wrapping an insulation blanket around your water heater, you will be increasing the effectiveness of your water heater; you won't use as much water and your bill will go down.

Tips & Warnings

• Have thick, cozy slippers on hand so your family can keep their feet warm when they come home. Have your children keep extra blankets on their beds at night.

• Don't put your thermostat control so low that your pipes freeze. Try not to set the temperature any lower than 67 degrees F. Keep a safety grate in front of your fireplace when you have a fire burning. You'll keep hot coals from falling out and burning anyone or the carpet.