It’s that time of year when people trade their light, fall jackets for an insulted, warm coat, and their fashion forward strappy sandals for knee high boots. It also means that when outside temperatures drop, homeowners can expect their monthly electric bill to rise. It happens each year, yet many people are still shocked when they see that first heating bill come their way. So instead of breaking out the extra blankets and sleeping with seven layers on, we have a few tips and tricks below that will help to keep your home warm and comfortable, without breaking your wallet with extreme heating bills every month!

The first tip we have for you may come as a surprise to many people as it involves your ceiling fan. Many people associate their ceiling fan with keeping cool in the warmer summer months, but many fan models can also be adjusted to spin clockwise to help keep you warm in the winter. How does this work you ask? With the blades spinning clockwise, the fan will actually drive the warm air that rose up to the ceiling back down to keep the temperature of the room warmer.  Next, you want to be sure to seal any ducts and/or cracks in windows and doors as that can account for much of the heat loss that can occur within your home. Fun fact – you can also save up to ten percent on your monthly heating costs just by caulking leaky windows and doors or installing weather-stripping throughout your house.

Our third tip is to make sure that you are keeping your chimney closed when it is not in use. You may also consider investing in a chimney balloon, which is an inflatable device inserted into the chimney to help keep the warm air in and the cold air out. Lastly, you want to always make sure that you are changing your air filters, as dirty filters can actually restrict airflow which in turns increases the energy use in your home. And did you know that just by changing your furnace or heating unit filter every three months can actually save you from four to six percent on your heating costs yearly!? If that isn’t a motivator to get those filters changed I don’t know what is!