Prepare
your home to keep it warm
By Marshall Loeb, CBS.MarketWatch.com
High oil prices won't hit consumers at
just gas pumps this year. As the weather gets colder, we'll
probably feel the pinch in home heating bills as well.
Costs for heating oil, propane and natural gas are expected
to rise across the nation, even in areas where fuel demands
are lower.
Start preparing your home for the colder months now.
Adjust your water heater, advises the American Council for
an Energy-Efficient Economy. Turn down the temperature to
the warm setting -- about 120 degrees. Buy an insulating blanket
for your water heater to prevent heat from escaping.
Buy a programmable thermostat. Set it to automatically decrease
and increase the temperature based on your schedule -- lower
when you're at work and late at night, and higher for when
you're up and about the house.
Replace your furnace's heating filters each fall.
Seal up air leaks in your house. Listen for windows and doors
that whistle on windy days, and then plug the cracks with
rope caulk or weather strips. Place towels or draft blockers
at the bottom of doors.
Clear away furniture from heat vents and registers, advises
USA Today. Make sure that hot air has an obstacle-free path
to move through the house.
Talk to your utility company or your state's energy office
about ways to adjust your bill. Either office may be able
to schedule an energy audit so that you can find out whether
your home can be more efficient. Your utility company may
also offer alternate payment schedules to spread out the cost
of high winter bills.
Visit the Administration for Children & Families, under the
U.S. Health and Human Services Department, at www.acf.dhhs.gov.
The administration offers a home energy-assistance program,
including help with bills and weatherizing, for people on
low or fixed incomes. Visit the site.
Change your habits to cut home
heating bill
Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage, and
so do cold weather and high heating bills. But with oil prices
remaining high, warming your home this winter could be twice
as costly.
As temperatures drop, make it a habit to be more energy-efficient.
Here are a few suggestions:
Take advantage of heat from activities you already do, recommends
TipKing.com, a Web site that offers money-saving tips for
households. Cook meals to generate warmth. When you shower,
leave the bathroom door open to spread hot steam throughout
your home. Still, consider cutting your time in the shower
by half.
Always wear socks at home, because your feet are very sensitive
to cold. If you get chilly, put on a sweater or wrap yourself
in a blanket before turning up the thermostat.
If you own a water bed, make your bed each morning, advises
the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Covers
keep heat in the bedding.
Keep your thermostat a few degrees lower than usual. You won't
notice much change in your home's temperature, but you'll
save on heating costs.
Lower the thermostat when you leave for work, or whenever
you won't be home for a long period of time. (Be sure to keep
it high enough to prevent pipes from freezing.)
Minimize your use of ventilation fans, including those in
your bathroom and kitchen. They pull warm air out of a room
very quickly.
Cover windows at night, advises USA Today. The heavier the
window covering, the more you'll keep out cold air. Remember
to uncover the windows during the day to allow sunlight to
naturally heat your home.
Wash clothes in cold water.
Marshall Loeb, former editor
of Fortune, Money, and The Columbia Journalism Review, writes
"Your Dollars" exclusively for CBS.MarketWatch.com.
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