When the temperature drops, heating bills rise. As a result, most people accept that they’re going to pay more for heating costs during winter.

But did you know that you can save money on home heating without buying a new heating system or bundling up at home? 

We have 10 simple steps that can lower your heating bill by simply optimizing your current heating system. Most of our tips are easy ways to save money and can even be done in a single day, so keep reading so you can start saving today!

One of the easiest ways to keep warm air in your home is to cut down on heat loss through doors, windows, and other places where warm air naturally leaks outside. In fact, according to the Department of Energy, heat gain and heat loss through windows are responsible for 25% to 30% of residential heating and cooling energy use.

Doors, windows, ceilings, lighting fixtures, and even electric outlets are places where the warm air you’re paying to pump into your home could be leaking outside.

Fortunately, air leaks are easy to spot and fix. You can simply feel for cold air in areas where leaks are likely, such as windows and doorways, or you can light a candle and see if the flame flickers when held near windows and doors due to warm air being sucked outside. You can go even further with this Department of Energy Pressurization test.

After finding where heat loss is occurring in your home, apply weather stripping or caulk from your local home improvement store and consider upgrading your windows and doors to be more efficient when possible.  

Simply adjusting the water temperature on your water heater could cut your heating bill without you ever noticing a difference.

Many hot water heaters have a default temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit upon installation. You can easily lower the temperature to 120 degrees on most hot water heaters without noticing a significant difference in how warm your water is or how quickly it warms.

However, you will notice a difference in your heating bill since lowering your water heater temperature could save anywhere between 4% to 22% on energy. 

If you want to save on your electric bill, then you need your furnace running as efficiently as possible. An easy way for homeowners to ensure that their furnace is doing just that is by replacing the air filters in their heating system.

Air filters in an HVAC system keep debris and pollutants from entering your home. Over time, build-up on air filters can block air from getting in, causing your system to work harder and consume more energy. You can make your heating system run as efficiently as possible by changing your air filters when they’re due to be replaced.

If you’re comfortable using apps and smart devices, then a programmable thermostat could lower your home heating costs without extra work.

Regular thermostats regulate the temperature in your home when you adjust their settings. Programmable thermostats regulate the temperature on their own based on the information you give them.

For example, you could program your thermostat to put out less heat when you’re away at work so you use less energy when you don’t need to. Some programmable thermostats can even adjust the temperature room by room so your energy usage is as efficient as possible.

What is the ideal thermostat temperature for efficient heating?

Lowering the temperature in your home may seem counterintuitive since you’ll have to raise it back to your comfort level. However, there is an ideal temperature setting that will keep your heating system at its most efficient. 

If you keep it at 68 degrees Fahrenheit but lower it by seven to 10 degrees for eight hours a day, you can save up to 10% on your yearly energy costs.

Is it cheaper to leave the heat on all day?

If the idea of leaving your heat on all day instead of cooling and reheating your home still makes more sense to you, then consider this:

No matter how careful you are about air leaks, heat naturally leaks out of your home and diffuses over time. Accordingly, if you continuously pump heat into your home, you continuously lose heat. 

That’s why using a programmable thermostat that adjusts the temperature in your home can help you cut your annual energy costs.

Another simple way to save money is by keeping the vents and doors closed in rooms you’re not using.

After all, the more space you need to heat, the more energy you’ll need. Plus, each window and vent in a room is a place where heat can leak out of your home, which could cause your heating bill to shoot up. That’s why closing the doors and vents to the rooms you’re not using is an easy way to save on your heating bill this winter.

We’ve already talked about your furnace and water heater as tools to fight heat loss, but there’s another creative way to save money on your heating bill that you might not expect.

Your curtains.

When you open your curtains, you let in sunlight, which adds warmth to your home. That means your heating system works less to keep your home warm.

That’s not the only heating hack your curtains offer, though, because drawn curtains create a simple but effective layer of insulation near your windows. Even with weather stripping, drafty windows are often where warm air leaks out of your home. Drawn curtains prevent some air leakage by partially blocking the drafts so your home stays toasty.

Another simple way to increase your energy efficiency is by running your ceiling fans in reverse when heating your home.

The direction your ceiling fan spins may seem unimportant, but it actually determines how air moves around your home. When your fan runs in reverse, it pulls up cold air and pushes down the warm air that naturally settles near the ceiling since warm air rises. Although it may seem like a simple trick, reversing your ceiling fans can warm up a room by a few degrees and save you money on your next energy bill.

Even when you follow these steps, some areas of your home still may not warm up. When that happens, a space heater could be the answer.

Whether it’s due to the design of your home or a room where cold air naturally settles, a space heater is a simple way to heat the places your heating system can’t reach. In fact, many space heaters are energy efficient, so adding one to a room while you're there could easily be more energy efficient than turning up your heat.

Another energy efficiency hack is adding a humidifier to a room or area your HVAC system can’t seem to warm. Moisture holds water, even when it’s in the air. As a result, humid air holds heat much better than dry air. That’s why it can be over 100 degrees outside, but if the air is dry, it feels cooler than somewhere where the temperature is lower, but the humidity is higher.

You may be tempted to only have your heating system serviced when something goes wrong to avoid the costs and inconvenience of service appointments. However, the short-term costs are more than worth it when you add up how much you’ll save over years of running your heating system every day.

Plus, you never realize how important your HVAC system is until it breaks. Regular service with professional technicians will help make sure you’re never left in the cold due to a major failure of your home heating system.

These hacks are easy first steps to lower your energy bill, but you can go much further by performing an energy audit on your home.

If you’re unfamiliar with energy audits, the Department of Energy has a great introduction to professional and DIY energy assessments. The basic idea is to find the most inefficient parts of your home (like drafty windows or an attic with thin insulation), decide how to address those areas, and then consider which appliances use the most energy. The goal is to know how much money you’re spending on energy, where you can improve, and determine the next steps to becoming more energy efficient.

Reduce heating costs this winter and save money with Accrue Savings

When your home leaks heat, you’re not only losing warm air — you’re losing money.

When your heating system and home are energy efficient, you spend less staying comfortable and, as a result, can put your saved money toward other goals. Whether that’s a luxury watch or a trip around the world, Accrue Savings is here to reward you for reaching your savings goals.

See how Accrue and our partners can reward you for saving now!