Cut Your Energy Bills And Save Money This Winter!

Judging by the snow in my backyardat the moment I would say that winter has well and truly arrived... and that is before I even set foot outside! I normally love winter, especially if I can sit in a nice home and look at the frost and snow! However, with the temperature being as low outside as it currently is and energy bills as high as they currently are I am really not enjoying this winter at all!

One of my resolutions this year is to be as frugal as possible and that is what I intend to do, starting with my energy bills. Obviously an energy bill is a debt priority so it must be placed above all other debts, but that is not to say that you cannot save money because you can. The follwing ideas should help you to save a little money right away.

* Remove any clothing or towels that you have on radiators and keep obstructions away from them as far of possible. Of course, if you are drying clothes then just remove them as soon as they are dry. Anything on or in front of the radiator will make it work harder to heat the room by preventing the heat already generated from leaving the immediate area. If you remove the obstructions then your heating will automatically become more efficient and cost you less.

* Make sure any draughts caused by draughts in doorways are blocked up because heat escapes extremely quickly. If you have no draught excluders then use newspaper! It works wonders because we do that throughout the winter. Alternatively make your own draught excluder with old towels and material you have lying around.

* Switch the heating on for an hour and then off for an hour when you are in your home. Your home will hold the heat for that long and you halve your heating bill!

* Place a second quilt on your bed so that you are nice and cosy at night. Unless you are old or ill, this will keep your warm enough to switch the heating off or turn it right down. You can also put layers on or invest in an electric blanket. A good electric blanket will heat your bed without using as much energy so you can keep it on for an hour at night and then sleep well without breaking the bank!

* Only use energy efficient standalone heaters in your rooms. Most independent heaters use more energy than the central heating does so invest in an energy efficient heater or rely on the central heating system instead.

* Finally the obvious - always shut doors behind you. Shutting outer doors will keep the heat in and keeping inner doors shut will localise it so rooms feel warmer than they otherwise would. This way, you can turn heating down or switch it off for an extended period of time.