Changing your habits can really pay off! If you lower your thermostat setting by 1 degree Celsius for the whole winter, you could knock 5% off your yearly heating expenses. Do you really need to keep the temperature as high as you usually do?
Some good habits
- Don’t try to warm up your home faster by cranking up the thermostat to a higher temperature than you actually want. It doesn’t work!
- During the winter, lower the temperature by 3°C (5°F), night and day, whenever you go out for a few hours. You could save up to 5% of your heating costs.
- Lower the temperature in unoccupied rooms and keep doors closed. You can easily take it down to 15°C (59°F), no problem. This will allow you to reduce your heating expense without sacrificing comfort.
- Check your thermostat setting. Turning it down just 1°C (2°F) is enough to save you money.
- Windows are the weak point of any building when it comes to heat loss. During cold snaps, close your curtains and blinds at night to reduce heat loss
and keep them open during the day to let the sun’s rays heat up the room. This simple action will help lower your heating bill. - Don’t put furniture in front of heat sources (baseboard heaters, radiators, etc.).
- If you have forced-air heating, keep air intakes and registers clean: the system will work better.
- When you use your fireplace, as soon as the fire has died down, shut the doors and damper (to close the chimney flue) to keep warm air in and cold air out.
- Clean ventilation system filters regularly and replace them as specified by the manufacturer. You’ll optimize the air flow.
- Make sure that the hatch to the roof space is airtight and well insulated. If you can get into your roof space, caulk any gaps around pipe penetration points, light fixtures and other such openings.
