How to Save Money Using Electric Heat

Clogged filters in heaters can make them run inefficiently.

Help your pocketbook and the environment by using electric heat wisely. During the winter, you can attribute as much as 30 percent of your energy bills comes from the efforts you take to heat your home. By changing the way you heat your home and conserve it, you can save up to 10 percent on your energy bill and, according to Power Scorecard, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the demand for fossil fuels.

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Step 1

Weatherize your home and make energy-saving improvements. Insulate your home's walls and ceilings, install double-glazed windows, plug air leaks around doors and maintain the weatherstripping around your windows to help keep heat inside your house.

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Step 2

Clean the air filters in your home's air ducts regularly. Follow the instructions that came with the filters for care and replacement instructions.

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Step 3

Turn your thermostat to 68 degrees during the winter. Instead of increasing the thermostat to heat your home, wear warmer clothes and use fleece throws in common areas to feel cozy.

Step 4

Only heat the areas of your home that you use. Instead of using a central heating system in every room of your home, close the ducts in the rooms that you rarely use, like a guest room or a room you use for storage. Additionally, use a timer on your thermostat so you only heat your home while you are there.

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Step 5

Consider using a space heater if you have a thermostat that does not give you control over the areas of your home that you want to heat. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources states that using a space heater to supplement low temperatures in a room, you can save money.

Tip

Use heavy curtains, like blackout curtains, over your windows to add more insulation and retain heat within the home.

If you want to heat a room that does not have a door and your thermostat is connected to several baseboard heaters, consider hanging a heavy curtain that extends from the floor to the ceiling at the entrances of a room so you can use a space heater and conserve the heat in a small space.

Unplug a space heater that you are not using. Heaters and other electronic equipment consume standby or “vampire” power if you leave them plugged into the wall while on the “Off” position.

Warning

Using a space heater to warm a large room or a larger area of your home can be more expensive than using your home’s own heating system.

Prevent a house fire. Keep all objects at least three feet away from space heaters and turn off the heater before going to bed.

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