Tips to cut your home heating bill this winter

Credit to Author: Canadian Immigrant| Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2022 15:38:39 +0000

The cost of natural gas for many Enbridge customers in Ontario was once again increased on October 1 after the Ontario Energy Board approved the utility company’s application.

The total impact on your bill will depend on how much gas you use and the terms of your gas marketer agreement, however with the recent increases, it’s likely that the average homeowner will be paying several hundred dollars more this year. When combined with the increasing costs of other essential goods due to inflation and rising interest rates, many homeowners are rightfully concerned about balancing their budgets this winter.

Here are nine tips to reduce your consumption and lower your utility bills this winter.

1. Lower your thermostat. The simplest and most cost-effective thing you can do is to lower your thermostat by setting it a few degrees lower than normal. To offset cooler room temperatures, wear a sweater and some wool socks, and cozy up with a blanket when you’re at home. To save even more money, lower the thermostat when you are sleeping or out of the house. This can be made even easier with the use of a ‘smart’ or programmable thermostat. Every degree you lower the thermostat, you can lower your heating costs by two to three percent. That can add up to some significant savings over the course of the winter heating season.

For example, try setting your thermostat to 20 degrees Celsius when you are home, and 16 or 17 degrees while asleep or away. If you’re going to be away for an extended period such as a vacation, set it even lower, around 12 or 13 degrees.

2. Make sure all your heating vents are open and unobstructed. This is even more important if you have a forced-air heating system.

3. Use ceiling fans on the reverse setting. This will help circulate warm air and keep it from settling at the top of rooms, especially if you have higher ceilings.

4. Keep your curtains and blinds open during the day. Try to keep your blinds and curtains open during the day for some free heat courtesy of the sun. At night, close them to add an extra layer of insulation.

5. Replace your furnace filter. This is something all homeowners should be doing at least twice per year, if not more frequently. A clogged and dirty filter forces your furnace to work harder to circulate air, which uses more energy and can shorten its lifespan.

This is also good for indoor air quality. For best results, try cleaning your filter once per month with your vacuum and replacing it every three months.

6. Make sure you’re not wasting the heat you’ve already paid for. Check every window and exterior door in your home to make sure it’s well-sealed and you can’t feel any drafts (check on colder days). The weather stripping will wear out over time, so it should be checked once a year.

You can buy inexpensive weather-sealing kits at any hardware store and shore up leaks yourself. If you have older windows, buy transparent plastic window kits, which create a sealed bubble over old windows and make them much more insulated.

7. Invest in a programmable ‘smart’ thermostat. Modern thermostats not only offer a range of convenient features, like allowing you to monitor and adjust your home’s temperature remotely via your smartphone, they can also save you money.

By automatically and precisely adjusting your home’s temperature when you’re sleeping or out of the house, a smart thermostat can lower your heating costs and effectively pay for itself in as little as a single winter heating season.

8. Upgrade your old windows and doors, insulation and heating system. Although these require an initial upfront investment, these upgrades can save a significant amount on home energy costs over many years. Newer high-efficiency Energy Star furnaces for instance, can be anywhere from 10 to 40 percent more efficient than a very old unit which may be operating at an efficiency rating of only 60 – 80 percent compared to the 95 – 98.9 percent of modern systems.

9. Consider applying for government grants/rebates

There are several government grants and rebate programs available for homeowners to help cover the cost of energy-saving home upgrades.

The federal government’s Greener Homes Initiative is offering up to $5,000 towards qualifying energy-saving upgrades. Enbridge is also offering up to $5,000 to their customers. There are several other local and regional programs as well being offered by various levels of government and other organizations.

Be sure to carefully study the eligibility criteria, and keep in mind it’s easier to qualify BEFORE having the upgrades done.

If you have a lower income and are concerned about being able to afford your heating and energy bills, there are other available programs which may help, including the Low-income Energy Assistance Program. There may also be other local programs available in your region.

Ultimately, heating costs are something all Canadians must deal with, and being proactive and implementing these recommendations can, especially when used together, add up to substantial savings.

Stay warm this winter!

Simon Bernath is the CEO and founder of FurnacePrices.ca.

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