How We Stay Warm and Save Money on Electric Bills in the Winter

So far, this winter is shaping up to be a brutally cold one, with record low temperatures being recorded all across the country. I have baseboard electric heat, so it's really difficult to afford our electric bill in the winter.

It' not just the high costs for electricity in the winter that make me dislike this season. In my part of the country its cold and the snowfall and ice make it treacherous to go to work or the grocery store. I know there are far colder locations in the U.S. in the winter, and I plan to stay as far away from them as possible.

I use the following strategies to keep warm and save money on the electric bill in the winter.

Winterize the Home in the Fall

I have written about my fall maintenance list in an earlier article, but performing some simple tasks in the fall help to lower my electric bill in the winter. Each fall I replace cracked window panes and caulk where the sash meets the trim on all of the windows. Install storm windows or plastic film covers over the windows to keep in the heat. The materials for these repairs are normally less than $20. 

I have baseboard heat, one of the most expensive and least efficient ways of heating one's home. I make certain to remove the panel on the front of the register and thoroughly dust the heating element so that it is clean before the season starts so it works more efficiently.

Years ago, I also made window and door "socks" out of scrap material and sand and I layer these on the window sills and place them along the bottom of the doors to keep the cool air out and the warm air in.

Cut Down the Thermostat and Dress in Layers

Many people have probably heard this one before, but it is really not necessary to crank up the heat at the sign of the first chill in fall. I put a timer on our hot water heater years ago and swapped out the incandescent bulbs to CFLs and cut my electric bill by a third the first year of this change.

I also turn off the heat and close the doors to rooms that are unused. Heating a smaller space reduces the electric bill. Many people have probably heard of these tips, but I do have a few more to resist turning up the heat when the temperatures drop.

Make Insulated Covers for Windows and Doors

While I do have curtains that I put up in the winter that have a special backing that works as insulation, one year I made an additional insulated hanging that I use over all of my windows and doors in the winter. You can use basically any heavy, thick material, but I used some fuzzy old blankets that had faded over time. I sewed a seam at the top so I could thread them through a spring tension rod, and I hung them at the top of the windows, and used a regular curtain rod to hang them over the entrance ways into my home. This extra covering reduced my electric bill by an additional 10% the winter that I first made them. 

When I first made them, I didn't like the idea of mismatched patterns being viewed from outside my house, so I got some acrylic paint, some fabric paint fixative and a foam brush from the crafts section of my local department store. For under $5 I was able to paint over the designs and these insulating cloths resemble the cream colored sheers that I normally hang under my curtains, so no one notices the difference.

Dress in Layers, Including the Bed, and Make a Hot Toddy

To me, if it's cold, it just makes sense to dress warmly when inside, in layers, and apply this strategy when dressing the beds. I put several layers of blankets on our beds, and top them off with a down comforter. At night, we take empty two liter soda bottles that we have saved, and fill them with very hot water and seal the cap tightly. Save some empty bread bags to slide these bottles in and tie, in case the cap works loose in the night and starts to leak. I place 3 or four of these soda bottles under the covers at our feet just before we turn in and it knocks off the chill and keeps us warm throughout the night even when it's freezing outside.

I hope my readers found these tips useful. If you have other strategies to stay warm and save money on the electric bill in the winter why not share them with us in the comments section below?
This personal finance article written by Lyn Brooks original appeared on Yahoo! Finance and the Yahoo Contributor Network.
Photo Credit: Sandra Forbes "Sage" on Flickr