Living in an area that gets a white Christmas every year is great. Cold snowy winters provide residents with opportunities to ski, build snowmen, ice skate, and participate in a large variety of other winter-time activities. While that is all fun and good, living in a cold environment also means having a house that is chilly for much of the year unless a heater is cranked up to the maximum, which can come with high energy costs. Follow these tips to learn how to improve your living standards this winter.

Invest in Gas Heating

In general, there are three main ways to heat a home. These include electric heating, gas/forced-air heating, and wood-fire heat. Out of these three, most homes in the United States are likely to have either electric or gas heating. Rural areas may have wood-fire heating, usually in combination with either electric or gas heating.

Out of the three main types of heating, gas heaters are some of the cheapest to operate. They are almost always cheaper to use than electric heating. While wood-fire systems may be cheaper in some situations or areas, homeowners still need to either purchase wood on a regular basis or chop wood on their own. This comes with additional costs and labor. Heating your home with a wood-fire system also comes with a greater fire risk.

For these reasons, if your home is not already heated by a gas heating system, now could be a good time to switch. Not only will this system help you to save money in heating costs, but it also heats just as well as electric heating.

Plastic the Windows

Another way to keep a house warmer is to make sure all of the windows are properly insulated. Sometimes, usually, when windows are old or made of poor-quality materials, windows can let in a draft even if they are closed all of the way. The best way to fix this problem permanently is to replace the windows entirely. However, this is pricey and can take a while. The next best option, which is much cheaper and can be used by almost anyone, is window plastic.

For those who have never seen or used window plastic before, it looks much like plastic wrap used for keeping food fresh. The primary difference is that window plastic is much larger, as it needs to cover a larger amount of space. Window plastic is large enough to cover most standard-width windows. Like plastic wrap used for food, window plastic is sometimes sold in rolls that can be cut to fit the window as needed.

The window plastic is held in place by special double-sided tape. To secure the tape even further, and to keep the plastic as taught as possible, a hair dryer can be used to create something like a vacuum seal. Once this is done, you are sure to feel less of a draft through your windows.

Block Out the Draft

Another way to keep out a draft, specifically drafts from doorways, you can block the drafts by putting something under the doorway to keep the heat inside and the cold outside. There are a couple of ways to make a draft excluder. The easiest way to exclude a draft is to roll up either a small blanket or an average-sized bath towel longways. Once it’s rolled, simply put it in front of the door (on the inside of the house) to keep the draft out.

Try some of these simple tips this winter to make your home feel a little warmer. As an added bonus, these tips can also help you to save money on heating costs. Good luck, and try to stay cozy this winter!