Consumption, Consumption, What's Your Function? - Heating Tips

NOTE: With winter upon us, In the Loop with DotLoop has designated the next month as Home Energy Month and will feature articles on how you can reduce your home's energy consumption through simple steps. DotLoop is dedicated to making every aspect of the home buying and owning experience as eco-friendly as possible.

It's definitely winter at DotLoop Headquarters here in Cincinnati; last week's windchill was about 9 degrees. As such, I thought it would be fitting to discuss heating, specifically, what you can do to keep your heating costs from eating up all of your holiday funds.

A Sweater Makes Everything Better

Sometimes, the best way to reduce your heating bill is not to use your heat at all. The old mantra from mom is the best solution to keep the meter from running: Put on a sweater!

You don't need to have your thermostat set to 80 degrees in order to keep warm--just pull a Huxtable and put on a sweater. By keeping your body covered, you'll not only save money on your bill, but you'll be stylin' while at it. When you do wear your best knitted sweater, be sure to slap on a pair of socks, too. Warm feet will not only keep your toes toasty, but will aid in keeping your whole body feeling warmer.

Don't Let Your Windows Waste Warmth

We'll tackle window insulation as its own post a bit later, but make sure your windows don't seep in too much drafty air. One of the biggest wasters of heat is to keep your storm windows up during the winter months (yes, I've done this before).

Insulation

Last week, we discussed insulation as a way to trim back your heating bills. You can't put on an extra sweater for your whole house, so insulation is your next-best bet. Along with covered and sealed windows, new insulation will help keep your house nice and toasty when you do use the heat.

Get a Programmable Thermostat

Little known fact: while you're busy working for a living, your pets are home basking in the glory that is a 78 degree household, hogging all of that warm air for themselves. That may be nice for Spot and Muffins (and the energy company's stockholders), but it takes a toll on your bank account. Installing a programmable thermostat allows you to keep your house cool while you're away (or asleep--people usually sleep better in cooler temperatures), and warm when you are actually at home. You can easily program a thermostat to have your house nice and warm by the time you get home. But what about poor Spot and Muffins? Hey, they have fur coats, don't they?*

Open Your Oven

After you bake yourself a hearty meal (or bake a cheap frozen pizza), don't close that oven door! Why waste heat you just paid for? By keeping your oven door open (or similarly, keeping your bathroom door ajar when you take a hot shower), you can help dissipate heat that would've been trapped to the rest of your house. Sure, your house may smell like mozzarella, but you may just save enough money on your heating bill to buy a nice dinner in a warm restaurant next month.

Challenge the Chills

When it comes to heating your home, everyone's comfortable temperature, what's "comfortable" will vary from person to person (DotLoop's CTO, Matt Vorst, always keeps his office at a balmy 30 degrees Fahrenheit, mostly because he likes a nice and cold office, but partly to keep the frozen steaks in his desk drawer from going bad).

But, if you find yourself constantly cranking up the heat, you may want to try other means of keeping yourself warm. After all, homes waste twice as much energy as cars in America. According to Jamie Gerdsen, President/CEO of Apollo Heating & Cooling, by adjusting your thermostat by a single degree, you can save up to 3% of your energy bill for every 8 hours of use. By doing your part, not only can you help keep the planet more green, but you can keep more green in your wallet.

*PETA: angry letters can be sent to info@dotloop.com