Winter poses some special challenges. First, there’s the need to stay warm. But doing that often means cranking up the heat, which makes your bills higher. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to stay comfortable and keep your power bills from skyrocketing.
Let’s look at several of them.
Better Insulation
Insulation helps keep the warmth in and the cold out. Before winter comes, make sure your attic and basement insulation (if you have one) is modern and in good condition. If you can’t install it yourself, get a contractor to do it. It’s worth the money.
Plastic Sealing
For windows that you don’t use, install plastic sealing around them. It’ll help block drafts and heat loss.
Draft Stoppers
These are simple additions you can install at the base of doors. Like insulation and plastic sealing, they help keep cold air from getting in and warm air from escaping.
Heated Mattress Pads
Turning the heat down at night when people aren’t active can save a lot of money. Heated mattress pads keep you warm through the night. Many have timers to warm the pads up before you go to bed and shut them off later so they’re not on all night.
Electrical Blankets
Maybe even better than heated pads are electric blankets. You can take them anywhere in the house and stay warm without having to heat the entire home to a warm temperature.
Thick Socks
Thick socks will insulate your feet and keep them warm, as will many styles of slippers. Wool tends to work best because it’s insulating and it wicks away moisture.
Thermal Underwear
Thermal underwear can be a game-changer whether you’re sleeping or active inside or outside your home. Modern thermal pants and shirts are light and warm, making them versatile and a great value.
Space Heaters
Space heaters are fire hazards and should never be left unattended (including in your room as you sleep). Otherwise, they are great ways to heat a room without having to turn up the heat for the entire home.
Warm Food and Beverages
Hot tea, coffee, soup, and other foods and beverages can make a big difference when you’re feeling cold. They produce a warming effect that makes the cold more bearable (and tasty!).
Wrap Exposed Pipes
One of the biggest concerns with frigid weather, and the reason you can lower your thermostat but not shut it off, is pipes freezing and bursting. If you have pipes exposed to the elements, wrap them with an insulator. You can use something as simple and cheap as a foam pool noodle.
Insulate Your Water Heater
Likewise, protect your water heater with a proper insulator. It’s not at risk of freezing, but tank heaters constantly run to keep hot water available, and if the tank is exposed to cold temperatures, it has to work harder to heat water, costing you more money.
Bales of Straw
This is a good one if you live in a mobile home. Bales of hay placed around the base will act as a low-tech insulator.
Ceiling Fans With Reverse Switches
We usually think of fans as cooling agents, but fans with reverse switches can help you stay warmer. That’s because when they spin counterclockwise, fans push warm air down.
Use Natural Sunlight to Your Advantage
In the Northern Hemisphere, windows facing south and west get plenty of winter sun. Open the curtains and blinds to let sunlight stream in and naturally warm a room.
Flannel Bed Sheets
Try flannel sheets as an alternative to electric blankets or heated mattress covers. They’re really comfortable and really warm, and they often cost less.
Sweats and Hoodies
Sweatpants and hoodies are great for providing warmth. Plus, they’re among the most comfortable of clothing, so winter provides a great excuse to wear them.
Down Comforters
Kovtun Anastasiia/Shutterstock.
There’s a reason many of the best cold-weather jackets and sleeping bags are filled with down. It’s light, warm, and insulating. If down presents ethical issues for you, be aware that synthetic down is now widely available.
Warm Water Bags
This one’s a little unusual and comes from maritime practices. You can boil water, place it in a leak-proof bag, and then place it beneath a blanket to warm things up fast. Just emphasize the leak-proof part! You can also use a hot water bottle.
Fireplaces
A wood stove can effectively heat an entire small home, but they’re not so common anymore. However, fireplaces are, and there are two ways to make effective use of them in the cold. One is to have them properly cleaned to make sure they work safely and effectively. Another, if you don’t use it, is to close it off so you’re not losing heat and taking in cold air.
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