Winter may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean you’re ready to fling open all the windows yet! There may still be a few more weeks of cold days (and even colder nights) to come. But heating your home during the bitter chilly winter months shouldn’t cost your entire monthly budget and there are lots of ways you can save money on your home heating. Here are five tips to help you to maintain your radiators AND save money on heating costs while keeping your house warm and cosy…
KEEP IT CLEAN
When it comes to keeping your costs down, a great way to save money is to clean. I’m not just talking about my fun fourteen-day challenge, I mean specifically keeping your heating system clean during the winter months. You can use central heating cleaning solution to clear any sludge from your heating system. The treatment travels around the system to keep it functioning well. Also, if your heating device has a filter, this may need to be cleaned or replaced. Here are a few things to look and listen for to know if you need to clean your system:
- Cold spots in the radiators
- Strange noises
- The system takes longer to heat up
- The water is discoloured when you bleed the radiator
RADIATOR LOVE
Show your radiators some love, by making them bleed. Keeping on top of the ongoing maintenance means avoiding big repairs in the first place. Learn how to properly bleed your radiators to clear them of air pockets and keep your radiators running smoothly. This should be done at least twice a year. Doing it once during the winter months will ensure your heaters are actually heating up properly.
ANNUAL CHECK UP
Sometimes you have to spend money to save money. It may sound counter-intuitive, but trust me, it’s worth it. Your heating system needs to have an annual routine check up. A local repair company can come each year to ensure your system is running smoothly, not to mention prevent any unnecessary breakdowns or expenses. If you have boiler and radiator cover, this annual service might be included free of charge as part of your policy.
CUDDLE TIME!
A great way to save money on your heating costs is to snuggle up! During those in-between months where it’s warm in the day but cold at night, there’s no need to have your heating on all the time. Instead, you can invest in some cosy sweaters, woolly socks and large fuzzy blankets to keep warm in the evenings. This way you can save on your heating costs by setting your heating unit to a temperature that won’t freeze your home but that doesn’t add too much unnecessary heat. Something along the lines of 67 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, 19.4 to 21.1 degrees Celsius should work. This is a temperature range that won’t make your heater breakdown, and won’t leave you freezing once you’ve popped on your comfiest jumper.
COOKING UP A STORM
One way to cut heating costs is to create the extra heat yourself! This can be done in a lot of different ways. Here are some clever and fun ways to make a little extra heat in your home:
- Bake some cakes, breads, or cookies. By having your oven on to bake those delicious treats, you’ll be adding lots of extra warmth to your home. Not to mention, you get to eat the treats as well!
- In fact, any time you cook a meal, leave the oven door open while it’s cooling down after you’ve finished cooking to allow the warmth to escape into the room.
- Soup! Make you and your family a lovely soup for dinner. This will not only warm you from the inside, but will fill your kitchen with the hot steam from the soup.
- Again, if you’re tumble-drying your clothing, you can leave the appliance door open after you’ve finish to allow the warm air into the kitchen or utility room
Managing your heating costs doesn’t have to be a chore. You can get into baking some tasty winter treats, keep up on cleaning your system, invest in some cosy slippers, bleed those radiators, and make sure your heater has its annual check-up to ensure your home is warm all winter long. I hope these simple tips help to make you (and your bank account!) happy.
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