Save on the Bills

Alan Barthelmess
Winter is closer than just around the corner it seems; with mornings in the low 30s, it’s probably time to start preparing. There are many ways to prepare for the upcoming cold and some of us dread the increasing bills to come. Never fear however, because here are a few simple tips that should make paying the bills a little less stressful. The biggest thing I urge readers to do is get a digital thermostat, if attainable. With these, you can program the temperatures to your schedule so that you are not paying for heat when you are not using it. If you don’t have a digital thermostat, and don’t wish to purchase one, just turn the temperature down to, say, 55 degrees when you go to work/school. You can also just adjust the thermostat to around 65 degrees and wear a sweatshirt.

Another basic thing is to make your house more heat efficient; by this I mean allow it to heat up easier, and when it’s warm don’t let heat escape as easily. Put weather strips under your doors and caulk your windows. A great way to help keep the heat in is to purchase weatherized double pane windows or cover your windows in plastic. This allows for a small amount of air in between the panes or plastic and window to act as insulation for the window. If your water heater does not have an insulation jacket wrapped around it, it is probably a good idea to invest in one. They are fairly cheap and should only run around 25 dollars, and if that is not an option, just wrap some insulation around it instead. This will help your water warm up faster and lower the cost to heat it at the same time. It is just as effective as efficient, a pure double win.
These are just some of the easiest adjustments you can make to lower the bills in the winter. Try not to let the cold get you down and ruin your winter.