If you have electric heating in your home, you will have your heating incorporated into your monthly electric bill. The cost of electric can get expensive, so you may want to try to monitor the usage of your heating in order to try to lower your bills. Here are some tips you can use to keep your heat from coming on more than necessary.
Adjust Your Thermostat
If you lower your thermostat by one or two degrees, you will most likely not feel any substantial difference in the temperature in your home. It will however, make a difference in the amount you pay. Try keeping your thermostat at a lower level during times when no one will be in the house. You can also lower it at nighttime when people will be asleep. Simply add an extra blanket to each person's bed to keep them warm. You can look into getting a programmable thermostat to help you keep your temperatures at the desired levels at different times of the day.
Check All Openings
Check your doors and windows for any drafts that may be felt. You will want to fill these areas in using caulk, weatherstripping or foam. Keeping your windows and doors airtight are a great way to save on your heating bill. Place door draft stoppers at at the bottoms of each door in your home to keep air from seeping in underneath.
Cover Up All Glass
Any glass areas that have no covering will let air outside, making you lose your heat. Make sure all your windows are covered with thick curtains or draperies. You can buy window coverings that have an extra thermal layer sewed in them to help keep your heat inside.
For an extra layer of protection, use shrinkable plastic on your window panes to help keep air inside. This is bought in a hardware store and can be easily applied to all windows in your home. You shrink it into place using a hair dryer. It can be peeled off in the springtime when the temperatures start to rise.
Close Doors
If there are any rooms not being used, turn off the baseboards in them so the heat is not being wasted in rooms where it is not needed. Make sure you close the doors to these rooms so the heat will be redirected throughout the rest of the home, allowing the heat to not turn on as much because there is less area needing to be heated. Be sure to contact professionals, such as those from Feldman Brothers Electrical Supply Co, for further assistance.