Do this, not that: Lower your home heating oil bill
There are so many tips and old wives’ tales out there when it comes to finding ways to lower your home heating oil bill, but which of them are really helpful and which of them are a load of nonsense? Everyone could use a helping hand when it comes to managing their household heating bills, so we’ve reviewed the most common myths to give you the best of the bunch, with a word of caution for those tips that really aren’t worth their salt.
Ordering home heating oil
Do this: Order as much as you can afford
Not that: Buy smaller amounts, it’s cheaper
If you can order larger amounts of home heating oil at once, you’ll save money in the long term which will help you lower your home heating oil bill by benefiting from lower unit costs. If your oil tank has capacity, we would recommend that you fill it each time, instead of buying smaller amounts more frequently which will end up costing you more.
Paying for home heating oil
Do this: Use your debit card to pay
Not that: Credit card payments will incur transaction charges
Avoid unnecessary fees by saving and budgeting in advance of ordering home heating oil so that you can buy it using your debit card. You’ll avoid paying transaction fees, and interest if your card charges interest on your purchases.
Heating your home at a consistent temperature
Do this: Only have your heating turned on when needed
Not that: Leave your heating on low all day
This is a common myth but absolutely not true and the quickest way you will lose money and spend more than you need to on your heating bills. There’s no point in heating your home if you’re not there to benefit from it, and even if you did have your heating on all day, unless your house is extremely well insulated you will lose a lot of it. Just use your thermostat and timer to your advantage – program the heating to come on an hour before you wake up and a half an hour before you’re due home from work.
When you want to warm up quickly
Do this: Leave your thermostat where it is
Not that: Crank up the thermostat
Many people assume that when it’s cold outside they need to turn the thermostat up higher, however this doesn’t make your room heat up any quicker, it just heats it to a higher temperature. If you do this, you’ll just be wasting money on heating (especially if you forget to turn the thermostat back down again).
Ceiling fan direction in the summer
Do this: Change the blade direction to anti-clockwise
Not that: Don’t leave it on with the blades going in a clockwise direction
In the summer your ceiling fan can be used incorrectly to heat your room, rather than cool you down. Check the direction of the blades – in the warmer months, your fan should run anti-clockwise to force the air down into the room, making it feel cooler. In the autumn, you can reverse this to force warm air back down into the room tp keep it feeling warmer without wasting extra money on home heating oil.