I remember the shock that I received after the first winter gas bill for my house had arrived. I knew that I had to take drastic action to reduce my heating costs. I also knew that I had precious little time to spare, thanks to work pressures, my exercise needs, and various home maintenance tasks.

In other words, I needed some quick, easy ways to reduce my heating bill without a lot of time investment. Here are a few of the tactics that I used:

1. I used wide strips of masking tape to seal off all but one of the doors that lead into the house. This short-term measure can help block out drafts until more properly weatherstripping can be installed. Make sure to use tape that’s not very sticky though, since it can peel the paint away if left in place for too long.

2. Fireplace dampers usually do not provide an airtight seal, and they are sometimes difficult to close properly. The fireplace in my living room has a hinged glass door that helps block air flow, but my basement fireplace does not. To help prevent cold air from leaking in, I used a large piece of plywood to block off the basement fireplace. This helps reduce the amount of cold air that comes down through the flue.

3. Make a point of doing laundry on particularly cold nights. That way, the heat generated by the washer and the dryer also contribute toward heating the house. By doing laundry on the coldest of nights, one can ensure that this excess heat will be put to the best possible use.

4. Similarly, try to perform all cooking and dishwashing during cold nights as well. This will also ensure that some of the excess heat generated by these activities will go toward raising the ambient temperature.

5. Finally, when draining pasta, I avoid pouring the water directly down the drain. Rather, I like to pour as much of the water as I can into a small pail or an empty coffee can. That way, the heat from the water will go toward heating the home as well.


About the author:

Dr. Velasco works for a biotech firm that provides ELISPOT plate readers, ELISPOT assay services, and serum-free cell culture media.