In the winter when the temperature drops and it starts getting really cold, it’s natural to want to turn up the thermostat.
Turning up the temperature will undoubtedly make your home warmer, but it can cost a lot of money. Not to mention, it can strain your furnace. When a new furnace costs between $4,900 and $9,600, or even more in some cases, it’s not a bad idea to look for ways to keep your house warm without making your heater work harder.
Seven easy ways to feel the warmth on even the coldest winter days—without having to adjust the temperature on your thermostat—include:
- Block Drafts
- Hang Insulated Curtains
- Open the Oven
- Light a (Faux) Fire
- Make Sure Vents are Unobstructed
- Change Your Furnace Filter
- Turn Off the Bathroom Fan
Block Drafts
The colder the air gets, the more you can feel it seeping in through the cracks. If you can block those cracks, you can keep the cold air from coming in. It will keep your home warm, and your furnace won’t have to work overtime to do it.
Blocking drafts under doors is one of the easiest ways to prevent cold air from leaking into your home. You can purchase door stoppers relatively cheaply that will keep cold air from coming in underneath your doors.
Weather stripping is a great way to seal doors if cold air is leaking in around the door—not just under it. If you’ve got leaky windows, try plastic window covers. They can be especially helpful if your home has very old windows.
Hang Insulated Curtains
The area around your windows can still be cold, even if there isn’t any air leaking in through the cracks. That’s especially true at night when the sun goes down.
You can help keep the cold out and keep the heat in by hanging insulated curtains. They help trap the cold air by the window so it doesn’t have a chance to creep into the rooms in your home.
Just make sure you open those curtains wide in the morning! Letting the sun shine into your home is a great way to warm up your house without turning up the thermostat.
Open The Oven
Winter is the perfect time to brush up on your baking skills. Whether you’re making a casserole for dinner, cookies for the holidays, or bread for a friend, take advantage of the heat by cracking the door on your oven when you’re done baking. This allows the ambient heat in the oven to disperse throughout your home instead of cooling more slowly with the oven door closed.
It is important to mention that it’s not a good idea to leave your oven running with the door open. Although it can potentially heat up your home, ovens aren’t designed to heat large spaces. If you run your oven with the door open, you will wear it out more quickly, which means you’ll have to replace it sooner than you’d like.
Light a (Faux) Fire
If you’re feeling a little chilly, consider using a space heater. It’s like lighting a faux fire! You can even find faux fireplaces with built-in space heaters to give you the look and feeling of warmth without a traditional fire.
Of course, if you have a traditional fireplace, you can light that too! It’s a great way to warm up your main living space without having to spend extra money to heat the rooms in your home that you aren’t using.
Like the idea of using space heaters but don’t want to light an actual fire? Consider installing a fireplace plug. It blocks the chimney flue so drafts don’t come down your chimney.
Make Sure Vents Are Unobstructed
If it’s feeling chilly in your home, even when the thermostat is turned up during the day, it’s possible that you’ve got one or more vents that are obstructed.
Start by making sure there aren’t objects in front of vents that are blocking airflow. That includes furniture. You might have to move a table or a chair in order to let the air flow freely.
You should also check to make sure the vents are actually open. It’s easy for a pet or a person to accidentally rub against a vent and close it. Open up all those vents so they can flow easily and you’ll notice your home feels warmer.
Change Your Furnace Filter
When was the last time you changed your furnace filter? If it has been at least three months, you should go down into the basement and change it. If you have been remodeling your home, you may want to change it more often, as dust and debris settles into your filter more quickly when you’re remodeling.
Your furnace has to work harder the dirtier the filter is, which usually means it can’t heat your home well. By changing the filter, you allow your furnace to breathe, which means it can run more efficiently.
Turn Off The Bathroom Fan
There’s no doubt that a bathroom exhaust fan comes with many benefits, but that doesn’t mean you always have to turn it on. In the winter when the air is cold and dry, turn it off and open the door while you’re taking a shower.
All the warm, steamy air from the shower is able to enter your home instead of getting sucked out by the exhaust fan, keeping your home warm while humidifying the dry air.
Just make sure you don’t forget to open the door so all that wet air doesn’t get trapped in the bathroom where it can potentially grow mold.
Turning up the thermostat isn’t the only option you have on those cold winter days and nights. Get a little creative with how you heat your home. When you do things like block drafts, open the oven after baking, and open the bathroom door while you’re taking a shower, you can save some money and save your furnace while staying warm
