{"id":10323,"date":"2018-11-28T11:05:52","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T16:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.eztaxreturn.com\/?p=10323"},"modified":"2023-06-06T11:43:25","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T16:43:25","slug":"shrink-your-heating-costs-this-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.eztaxreturn.com\/blog\/shrink-your-heating-costs-this-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Cut Your Heating Costs This Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Now that the outdoor temperatures have begun to fall, it\u2019s going to cost a bit more to keep your home nice and toasty.\u00a0 Although it\u2019s an expense many of us have come to expect, it doesn\u2019t mean we&#8217;re willing to go broke trying to stay warm.\u00a0 Here are some tips to cut your heating costs this winter.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Find and plug air leaks<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Air leaks are one of the biggest causes of wasted energy.\u00a0 The <a href=\"http:\/\/energy.gov\/eere\/why-energy-efficiency-upgrades\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Department of Energy<\/a> estimates that 20% of your home\u2019s heat seeps out through small cracks and openings.\u00a0 Finding and plugging air leaks takes minimal effort and can save you a lot of money.\u00a0 Simply purchase a smoke pencil from your local hardware store and hold it next to any areas where air can escape.\u00a0 Start with your doors and windows, then move on to your electrical outlets, pipes and attic hatches. You&#8217;ll know when you&#8217;ve located a leak because the smoke will start to shift.\u00a0 Caulk or weatherstrip the drafty area to prevent any more heat or money from being lost.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Lower your thermostat<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There&#8217;s no point in leaving the heat on full blast while everyone&#8217;s away from home.\u00a0 Lowering your thermostat 10-15 degrees for 8 hours a day can cut your heating costs up to 10% a year.\u00a0 These days, programmable thermostats make it easier than ever to control your homes climate even when you\u2019re not around.\u00a0 Depending on your lifestyle, you can create different heating schedules for each day or set it once for the week.\u00a0 The best part is you can buy one for as little as $20.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Open your curtains<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Want to heat your home <del><\/del>for\u00a0free?\u00a0 Mother Nature can definitely help.\u00a0 All you have to do is leave your curtains open during the day to let the sunlight in.\u00a0 Once the sun begins to set, close your curtains to keep away the cold.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Wash your clothes in cold water<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When you choose the hot setting on your washing machine, 80-90% of your machines energy is used to heat up the water.\u00a0 You can easily cut its energy usage in half by switching the temperature to a cooler setting.\u00a0 Cold water gets clothes just as clean as hot plus you won\u2019t have to worry about them shrinking or fading.\u00a0 Be sure to choose the appropriate load size so you\u2019re not using more water than you need.\u00a0 Before sticking your clothes in the dryer, clean the lint trap to allow the air to circulate properly.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t need your clothes right away, we recommend hanging them on a clothes line to air dry.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Turn down your water temperature<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Setting your water temperature too high increases the risk of being scalded and costs more money.\u00a0 Being exposed to water temperatures of 140 degrees for just a few seconds is enough to cause third degree burns.\u00a0 To prevent injury and conserve energy, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cpsc.gov\/s3fs-public\/5098.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Consumer Product Safety Commission<\/a> suggests lowering your water temperature to 120 degrees.\u00a0 To cut your heating costs even further, you can also install low-flow faucets and shower heads so you use less water.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">File your taxes fast and ez in 30 minutes or less.<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now that the outdoor temperatures have begun to fall, it\u2019s going to cost a bit more to keep your home nice and toasty.\u00a0 Although it\u2019s an expense many of us have come to expect, it doesn\u2019t mean we&#8217;re willing to go broke trying to stay warm.\u00a0 Here are some tips to cut your heating costs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16436,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-save-money"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.13 (Yoast SEO v20.13) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>5 Ways to Cut Your Heating Costs This Winter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Now that the outdoor temperatures have begun to fall, it\u2019s going to cost more to keep your home warm.\u00a0 Here&#039;s how to cut your heating costs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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