Keeping your New Jersey home warm can certainly cost you during the winter – but you can have a surprising impact on how much it costs you.

With some sensible lifestyle changes and a few investments in home energy efficiency, you can keep heating oil bills from your furnace more manageable in the coming winter months. Here are nine of the best bang-for-the-buck ways to take a bite out of heating bills this winter.

1. Use ceiling fans – Using a ceiling fan might seem counter-intuitive during the cold winter months, but it actually helps keep you comfortable by pushing rising warm air back into the room, which allows you do drop temperatures in your home with no loss of comfort. Just be sure the fan is spinning clockwise, otherwise your fan will draw heat away from your living space; check your fan’s owner’s manual to see how to reverse your fan’s direction.
2. Capture solar heat – Open curtains and blinds in sunny rooms to take advantage of the sun’s radiant heat during the day, then shut them at night to keep that heat in.
3. Seal leaks and drafts – Keep warm air in and cold air out using inexpensive measures such as caulk, weather stripping, door sweeps, and plastic sheeting.
4. Change air filters regularly – Clogged filters cause your furnace to run inefficiently, leading to higher bills and more mechanical issues. Check filters at least once a month during winter, cleaning or replacing them as needed.
5. Program your thermostat – According to the U.S. Department of energy, you can save as much as 10 percent on your bills by setting your thermostat back 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its normal setting. The easiest way to do that? Install (and use!) a programmable thermostat.
6. Get annual heating maintenance – A heating system loses about five percent efficiency each year when it is not properly maintained, which means that an annual tune-up will usually pay for itself in efficiency improvements alone.
7. Invest in more insulation – Most homes in NJ – especially older ones – are under-insulated. For guidance on where and how much to insulate, check out this link from the Department of Energy.
8. Have your ducts tested and sealed – Studies show an average of 11.4 percent of the hot air produced by a forced air system escapes through ductwork flaws before ever reaching your living space. Have your ducts inspected every five years, sealing them when needed.
9. Upgrade old equipment – The efficiency of an older furnace can drop into the 70s – 25 percent lower than most modern furnaces and boilers. That inefficiency can cost you thousands of dollars over the years – more than enough to justify the cost of a heating system upgrade. A modern furnace is more reliable, runs more quietly, and will keep you more comfortable for less money every month.

For great ways to save money on energy bills this winter, trust the pros at Fredericks Fuel. Contact us today to learn about our high-efficiency HVAC installations, heating oil deliveries, and professional heating services in Northern NJ!