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Winter brings with it increased costs of homeownership. Cold winds, winter snows, and less sunlight all present challenges to keeping warm. But there are easy ways to help ease the cost of heating your home and keeping it running throughout the winter months. |
| REVERSE THE SPIN |
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 Ceiling fans are great for keeping cool in summer but they are also useful during colder months. Most fans come with a tiny switch that sets the paddle direction. In summer this should be set so the lower part of the paddle goes first around the fan. This draws air up. In winter, flip the switch so the fan pushes warm air down. This helps keep living spaces comfortable and will help take a load off of the furnace.
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| CHANGE YOUR FURNACE FILTER MONTHLY |
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 Forced-air HVAC systems usually have a simple filter integrated in the ducts near the furnace. These should be changed monthly in the winter to keep the furnace clean and running efficiently. The filters are inexpensive and readily available so buy them two at a time. |
| ADD A THERMAL LAYER TO WINDOWS |
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 A quick, inexpensive way to seal up leaky windows is to install shrink wrap, clear plastic films. These are available at most hardware stores and easy to install. Even if you just apply this to some windows throughout your home, you will notice a difference. The plastic creates an insulating air pocket while still allowing the sun in. |
| KEEP TEMPERATURES LOWER |
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 A few degrees in temperature can make a big difference in heating costs. For every degree you take the thermostat down you can expect about 3% savings on your fuel bill. Optimal indoor temperature is 68 degrees during waking hours and 5-8 degrees cooler while you're sleeping. Set your programmable thermostat and reap the rewards.
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| SEAL YOUR HOME |
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 Even small leaks in walls and windows can be energy black holes where your money is literally out the window. Weatherstripping and caulk are two inexpensive products that will save you money. Use them around windows, doors, chimneys and anywhere two surfaces meet to stop drafts and seal up your home. The efforts will come back in noticeable energy savings. |
 JUST FOR FUN |
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Way back when the floors in homes consisted of dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt.
Hence the saying, "Dirt poor."
Also, the wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floors to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside.
A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.
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