This Winter: Don’t Crank the Heat to Stay Warm

As the days get shorter, the temperatures get colder.  To stay warm indoors, you might be tempted to crank the thermostat.  But there’s no need to overheat your whole home to keep yourself warm.  Instead, focus on ways to bring the warmth to you:

• During the day, open the blinds and shades and sit in the sunniest rooms in your home.  Keeping the blinds and shades open can help to heat the whole home as well.
• At night, do the reverse, close the curtains and blinds to keep out the cold.
• Wear cozy fleece or flannel.  Warm fabrics will keep you feeling warm.
• Get moving.  Walk around the house, run up and down stairs, follow an exercise video online.  Moving around will warm you up and it’s good for your health, too.
• Get a cozy comforter for your bed.  You’ll be snug and warm all night.
• Use an electric blanket.  The blanket will keep you warm and uses a lot less energy than heating the whole home.
• Reverse ceiling fans so they are pushing warm air down.
• Stop drafts.  For just a few dollars, you can purchase outlet insulators, insulate around doors and windows, and put draft stoppers at the base of your doors.
• Try to avoid space heaters.  They cause 25,000 house fires every year.  But, if you do use them, make sure to buy ones that are UL listed and stay in the room with the heater and make sure no fabrics fall on or cover them.