As we pass by the first day of fall, it has me thinking of how I am going to keep our house warm and toasty this fall and winter without going broke in the process. Our home has a furnace that is run by propane and it typically costs us close to $400 to fill up our propane tank, so it is nice to only see the propane truck once all winter long! Hope these tips can help you as well.

  1. Burn, Baby, Burn – If your home has a wood burning stove, use it! When our home was being built we upgraded the decorative fireplace into one that actually served a purpose. Also, keep your eye out for good deals on firewood in your local newspaper or at the bulletin board at the grocery store. The best deals are obviously going to be found in summer, but you may still be able to find some good deals as we are only in September. If you have a chain saw you can often find free wood if you are willing to cut and haul it yourself. I do this quite a bit. This will not only lower your heating bill but it is great exercise. I start a fire almost every morning all winter long, then I start it up again in the evenings. By doing this, we typically only have to turn the furnace on during the coldest nights.
  2. Use Our Closest Star – Every morning during the winter, I go around the house and open all the blinds and curtains that get morning sun. It is amazing how much warmer those rooms get than the rest of the house.
  3. Check For Cracks – I was in my home for several months before I noticed that I had big gaps under all my exterior doors that was allowing cold air in all winter long. I bought some inexpensive weather stripping and was able to seal off the leaks. Made a HUGE difference. I no longer felt a cool air draft throughout the home. Also, if you have a fireplace and don’t use it, make sure to keep the damper closed so warm air does not escape through your chimney.
  4. Programmable Thermostat – I have seen this tip on TV commercials recently. By using a programmable thermostat you can set the furnace at a lower temperature during the day while you are at work. You can also set the thermostat lower when you are sleeping. No sense heating the home when you are cozy under your blankets.
  5. Get Tough! – If during the winter and fall months you typically keep your thermostat at 73 during the day and 66 at night, try an experiment and lower it by 1 degree each week for a month. Slowly try changing the temperature you are used too and let your body adjust. Wear a sweatshirt if this is a difficult adjustment. This tip has the potential to save you quite a bit of money this winter.

Please let me know any tips that I missed by leaving a comment!