Stay Warmer In Your Apartment This Winter
If you want to stay warm in all the rooms of your apartment this winter, here are some things that you can do to make sure that you and your family can stay nice and toasty warm without turning your thermostat way up and creating high energy bills.
Add Extra Window Insulation
Windows are one of the biggest areas of heat loss in your apartment. Thankfully, this is something you can improve quite easily without spending much money.
All you have to do is get to the local hardware store and buy some plastic window film. This is plastic that is created for the purpose of sealing and insulating windows during colder months. You can get boxes of plastic film, which can be cut to cover several windows for less than $20. They come with everything you need to install over your windows.
By placing this plastic film on your windows, you are able to block any drafts that might otherwise sneak through. Plus, natural sunlight can still come through during the day to provide added light and heat. Typically, the amount of money you'll save on your heating bill will easily cover the cost of the plastic.
Stop Drafts Under Your Doors
Besides your windows, another way you can lose a significant amount of heat from your apartment are the doors. Drafts can easily go under doors. The amount of cold air that lets in can be rather significant.
This issue is also easily fixed. Simply purchase draft guards, like these, that slide under your doors. Normally, these guards will cost right around $10-$20. They are also quite easy to install. All you have to do is open your door and then slide the draft guard in place.
Clean And Change Furnace Filters
If you have a gas furnace or heat pump, make sure you change all your filters prior to starting it up for the new winter season. Then, change the filter on the recommended replacement schedule. Depending on the type of filter that might be monthly, though some filters are only changed once per year.
Either way, once they are too dirty, filters will restrict the air flow that goes through your furnace. This slows air movement and puts extra stress on the furnace fan. This results in an increase in the amount of energy needed to heat your apartment. This, in turn, means higher heating costs because efficiency is lost.
Therefore, you can enjoy reduced heating costs all winter long as long as you start the season with a clean filter and then continue to replace on the recommended schudule.
Reverse Your Ceiling Fans
Check to see if your ceiling fans have a switch to reverse the fan spin direction. If so, doing this changes the air flow direction. You might typically think of using your ceiling fan to keep cooler in the summer, but many ceiling fans have a switch that reverses the direction of rotation.
When set to normal, the fan is spinning counterclockwise. This helps to cool the room. When you flip the switch, the fan will spin clockwise, thus recirculating the warm air that is otherwise trapped at the ceiling. This can help to reduce your heating bill by a significant amount.
Some Final Thoughts
If you follow these tips it's possible to significantly reduce your heating bill this winter. As a result, you can put aside your worries about staying warm enough in your apartment. Instead, you can enjoy your nicely cozy and warm apartment while you also save money on your heating bill.