The furnace is running every day now, and the first real heating bill of the season is right around the corner. Whether you heat with a gas furnace or a heat pump, winter means using more energy to keep the house warm, so bills climb this time of year no matter what. The good news is there's a lot you can do about it, and most of it is free. Think of this as the winter companion to the power-bill tips we shared back in summer.
What Should I Set My Thermostat to in Winter?
Around 68 degrees while you're awake and home is the common recommendation, and then lower while you're asleep or away. Every degree you drop saves energy over a long heating season, and the savings add up fast across a whole winter.
A programmable or smart thermostat makes this effortless, dropping the temperature overnight and while you're at work, then bringing it back up before you're up or home. And the same myth we busted in summer applies here: cranking the thermostat to 80 does not heat your house any faster. The furnace heats at one speed regardless, so you'll just overshoot and roast. Set it where you want it and let it work.
Do Ceiling Fans Actually Help in Winter?
They do, if you reverse them. Most fans have a little switch on the housing that changes the direction they spin. In winter, you want them turning clockwise at a low speed. Warm air rises and collects up at the ceiling, and a fan running in reverse gently pushes that warm air back down into the room where you can feel it. It's one of the simplest free tricks there is.
What Are the Free Things That Actually Move the Needle?
A handful of no-cost habits do real work over the winter:
- Let the sun in. Open the blinds on the south and west sides of your house during the day to let the sunlight warm your rooms, then close them at night to hold the heat in. It's the opposite of what we tell you in summer, and it helps.
- Seal your drafts. Weatherstripping around doors and windows, and a little caulk in the gaps, keeps the heat you're paying for from leaking straight outside. Cheap materials, real savings.
- Change your filter. A clogged filter makes your furnace work harder for less heat, which you pay for every month. Same rule as summer.
- Turn your water heater down to around 120 degrees. Heating water is one of the bigger energy users in your home, and 120 is plenty hot for a household while being easier on both the tank and the bill.
What About Space Heaters?
They have their place, but use them wisely. A space heater is fine for warming one room you're actually sitting in, which lets you turn the whole-house thermostat down a bit. What they are not good for is heating your whole house. Running several of them is an expensive way to stay warm, and it will cost you more than just running your furnace.
If you do use one, give it plenty of clearance from furniture and anything flammable, and plug it straight into the wall rather than a power strip.
Does a Tune-Up Actually Save Money?
It does. A furnace with a clean filter, a clear flame, and no sediment or wear dragging it down simply burns less fuel to make the same heat. A system that's neglected works harder and costs more to run all winter, on top of being likelier to quit on you in the cold. Getting it checked in fall is both the cheaper and the warmer way to go, and it's a big part of why our Comfort Club members start the season with a heating tune-up.
The Short Version
Set the thermostat to about 68 and let it drop overnight, reverse your ceiling fans, let the sun in by day and close the blinds at night, seal your drafts, and change your filter. None of it costs much, and together it takes a real bite out of a winter of heating bills.
If your bills are climbing for no clear reason, that can be a sign your system is working harder than it should, and we're glad to take a look. We're a family-run shop covering Nampa, Caldwell, Meridian, Boise, and Emmett, at 208-455-5158.