Cheapest Ways To Heat Your House In The Winter

The last thing you want to do is run up massive energy bills all winter. It’s tempting to turn up the furnace every time it gets cold, but that will quickly become quite expensive. So, what are the cheapest ways to heat your house in the winter?

The cheapest ways to heat your house in the winter are to run a space heater and install a smart thermostat. Put weatherstripping beneath your doors, use your fireplace, and caulk your windows, so warm air doesn’t escape your house. Install heat lamps, improve the insulation, and wear layers in your house to stay warm.

Open the curtains so your house can absorb the warmth from the sun. Follow along as we explore the cheapest ways to heat your house in the winter so you don’t spend a fortune on heating bills.

How To Cheaply Heat Your Home

Whether it be opening the curtains or beefing up on insulation, there are several inexpensive ways to heat your house in the winter. Some aren’t as obvious as others, but they can all save you a small fortune. Let’s look at the 10 cheapest ways to heat your house in the winter.

1. Run A Space Heater

Space heaters are the cheapest way to heat your house in winter. They are small, light, and available online and at home hardware stores. You can adjust space heaters to set a comfortable temperature, and you can even set some of them with a timer so it turns off while you’re asleep.

Depending on how big your house is, you may want to get a few space heaters for winter. It only costs $18 per month to run a space heater if you run it constantly, and that’s much cheaper than cranking up the heat. Conversely, it can cost over $300 per month to run the furnace constantly.

2. Add Weatherstripping

Gaps under your doors can let cold air in and quickly lower the temperature in your house. This will essentially waste the money that you spend on heating bills. Weatherstripping doors typically costs under $20, and you can even do it for free.

For example, you can roll up old towels and put them at the bottom of your doors to block the airflow. Door sweeps cost as little as $3 to $7 and you can set them up within 2 minutes. The weatherstripping will also reduce the noise from outside and keep bugs out of your house.

3. Caulk Your Windows

It’s no secret that windows aren’t always sealed as well as they should be. Weak and cracked caulking can let cold air into your house and it will make you want to crank up the heat. You can buy tubes of caulk from any hardware store, and you don’t need to hire a professional to apply it.

Ideally, you should re-caulk your windows every 5 to 10 years. That said, you may need to apply caulk to windows sooner. Humidity can weaken caulk, so you may need to apply it more often if you live in a hot and humid climate.

4. Open The Curtains

You’d be surprised at how much you can heat your house in the winter if you simply let the sun shine through your windows. Open the blinds and curtains to let as much sunlight in as possible. The glass will amplify the heat and your house will warm up quite a bit.

Sunlight can also help fight seasonal affective disorder. The lack of sunlight and outside time during the winter can affect your mental health. Because of that, it’s a great idea to maximize the sunlight in your house to save on heating bills and boost your mood.

5. Wear Layers

Wearing layers won’t heat your house, but it will make you feel more comfortable during the winter. This will ultimately help you save money, as you won’t have to run the heat so high. Of course, you’ll still want to run the heat when it’s freezing, but wearing comfy, bulky clothes will make it less necessary.

Hoodies and thermal shirts or leggings can keep you especially warm.

6. Use Your Fireplace

Sitting in front of a fireplace is one of the best parts of winter. Not only will a fireplace keep you warm when you’re in front of it, but it will also warm up at least that level of your home. Wood-burning fireplaces used to be the gold standard for heating a house.

Now they are primarily used as supplementary ways to warm your home. Gas fireplaces are effective, but gas is also expensive, so just be careful about how often you use it.

7. Improve The Insulation

Poor insulation doesn’t just make your home uncomfortable, but it also wastes money. Heat can escape your home and cold air can come in without proper insulation. There is no better time to improve your installation than right before it gets too cold.

You won’t have to crank the heat as much if you have good insulation. That’s because the insulation will help retain the heat, so you won’t be as tempted to adjust the dial. Even just insulating your attic can help prevent heat loss, and that costs up to $7 per square foot.

8. Switch To A Smart Thermostat

One of the cheapest ways to heat your house in the winter is to switch to a smart thermostat. Think of it as an investment instead of a winter heating solution. Smart thermostats can save 8% on heating which may not sound like a lot, but it makes a huge difference throughout the winter.

The savings on heat are double what you can save on cooling with a smart thermostat. You can typically pair your smart thermostat with your phone and change the temperature without getting up. It’s easy to program a smart thermostat to a schedule.

Smart thermostats can also detect temperature changes much better than a standard thermostat. One of the best features is that you can check the temperature in your home when you’re not home and adjust it so the heat isn’t running when you’re gone. They cost up to $250 and are worth every penny.

9. Install Heat Lamps

Heat lamps may not heat your entire house, but they can warm a room during the winter. They cost between $6 and $21 depending on the size, wattage, and materials. It’s cheaper to run a heat lamp than a heat bar, and they also add a unique flair to any room.

That said, they are only useful during the winter. You can easily put them away once the spring rolls around and swap them out for LED bulbs. However, you must be careful where you put a heat lamp when it’s on.

Never put a heat lamp near anything flammable. Keep your heat lamp away from curtains, as they can easily catch on fire. Make sure to turn off your heat lamps before you go to sleep or leave the house.

10. Seal Cracks

Inspect the doors, windows, and exterior walls of your house for cracks. Seal the cracks before it gets too cold, or warm air will continue to leak from your house. It can cost as little as $250 to seal several minor cracks in your house with epoxy, and you can do it without professional help.

Summing It Up

Run a space heater, add weatherstripping, caulk your windows, and improve the insulation to cheaply heat your house in the winter. Seal the cracks in your doors, windows, and exterior walls, and wear layers in your house to stay warm. Run your fireplace and open the curtains to let the sun warm your house during the winter.

Related Guides:

• How To Winter-Proof Your Home (Winter Checklist)
• Should You Run A Dehumidifier In The Winter?