Program thermostats. Before temperatures drop, set thermostats at a comfortable level, such as 68 degrees. Then keep them there: It’s always more cost-efficient to maintain a temperature than to change it. If your thermostats “aren’t programmable, replace them.”
Clean house. Replace any dirty filters in your furnace and forced-air system. Doing so will let more heat in and can decrease monthly bills by 10 percent to 30 percent.
Stop drafts. To locate a draft, light a candle and move it around windows and doors. “Where it flickers, you’ve got a draft.” Use weather-stripping or caulk as needed.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Insulate. Measure your hot-water heater for an insulating blanket. Next, cover any connecting pipes with polystyrene. “Once you insulate, the heat stays in the pipes,” and the heater doesn’t work as hard.
Source: Woman’s Day
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purgeCartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Crossword: August 23, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
