Set Your Thermostat to the Best Winter Temps

Although winter weather tempts you to crank the heat, you’ll save the most energy by keeping your thermostat around 68°F while you’re home and awake and lowering it by 7–10°F for about 8 hours overnight or when you’re out—an adjustment that can cut heating costs by up to ~10% a year without sacrificing comfort. Treat those numbers as your baseline ideal thermostat settings, then fine-tune for your home’s insulation and your comfort.

If rooms feel chilly, add a layer or use a throw before raising the setpoint; each degree higher can increase fuel use. Make winter temperature adjustments gradually (1–2°F at a time) so your system runs steadily instead of cycling hard. If you have a heat pump, avoid big setbacks to keep efficiency high.

Program a Schedule With a Smart Thermostat

To lock in smart thermostat benefits, enable adaptive recovery so heat ramps up efficiently before you’re home, not all day. Then use energy usage monitoring to review runtime by day and tweak setbacks by 1–2°F until comfort holds. You’ll cut waste with zero daily effort.

Find Air Leaks Fast (Candles, Smoke, or IR)

When cold wind sneaks in through tiny gaps, your furnace runs longer and your heat bill climbs. Air leakage can waste 20–30% of heating energy, so finding leaks is a high-ROI first step before you buy supplies or book a pro.

Use quick draft detectors: hold a lit candle near baseboards, plumbing penetrations, attic hatches, and outlet plates; a flickering flame signals airflow. Prefer smokeless? Use an incense stick or a thin tissue and watch for deflection. For the fastest scan, borrow or rent an infrared camera and look for cold streaks around trim, recessed lights, and sill plates. Mark every spot with painter’s tape, then prioritize the biggest leaks. You’ll also plan smarter caulking techniques by seeing where gaps actually are.

Weatherstrip Doors and Windows in 10 Minutes

Ten minutes of weatherstripping on your most-used exterior door or a drafty window can cut noticeable heat loss for just a few dollars, especially in homes where infiltration drives 20–30% of winter energy waste. Start by cleaning the jamb or sash so adhesive bonds well; oils and dust can cut hold time in half.

Choose weatherstrip materials that match the gap: foam tape for uneven cracks, V-strip for sliding edges, or silicone rubber for durability. Measure, cut, and press firmly along the stop or meeting rail, keeping the seal continuous at corners. Use simple DIY techniques like closing the door/window on a strip of paper: if it slips out easily, you need a tighter seal. Recheck operation so it latches smoothly without binding.

Add Door Sweeps and Seal the Threshold Gap

Weatherstripping tightens the sides and top, but the biggest remaining leak often sits right under the door, where a 1/8-inch gap can feed a steady cold-air draft. Stop it fast with a door sweep: a $10–$25 strip that blocks low-level airflow at the source for reliable draft prevention.

Choose a screw-on sweep for durability or a slide-on style if you rent. Close the door, mark the length, cut to fit, and set the sweep so it just brushes the threshold without binding. Then handle threshold maintenance: tighten loose screws, raise an adjustable threshold until daylight disappears, and replace cracked threshold seals. This quick fix reduces infiltration, helps your furnace cycle less, and improves comfort in minutes all season.

Use Window Film and Shrink Kits to Cut Drafts

Even if your windows look shut tight, small gaps around the sash and frame can leak enough cold air to noticeably raise heating demand and create uncomfortable drafts. You can cut that infiltration fast with clear interior window film or a plastic shrink kit that creates a sealed air layer. The window film benefits are measurable: reduced drafts, steadier room temps, and less furnace runtime, especially on older double-hungs.

For best results, clean the frame, apply double-stick tape continuously, and stretch the film flat; gaps or wrinkles lower performance. During shrink kit installation, use a hair dryer to tighten the film and seal edges, then check corners with your hand for leaks. Most kits cost under $20 per window and install in 15–30 minutes.

Hang Thermal Curtains and Use Them Correctly

One well-chosen set of thermal curtains can cut winter heat loss through windows by roughly 10–25% in many homes, especially if you’re dealing with older or single-pane glass. To get that performance, pick dense thermal curtain materials like multi-layer polyester, cotton blends with acrylic foam, or insulated liners with a vapor barrier.

Mount the rod 4–6 inches above the frame and extend it 3–6 inches past each side so you block edge convection. Aim for an ideal curtain length that reaches the sill or floor; longer panels reduce drafts, but don’t bunch on radiators or baseboard heaters. Close curtains at dusk and on windy days, then open them on sunny windows to capture free solar gains. Add magnetic strips or clip-on weights to keep gaps sealed.

Reverse Ceiling Fans to Push Warm Air Down

Because warm air naturally pools near the ceiling, you can reclaim that heat by setting your ceiling fan to reverse (clockwise) at a low speed so it gently pushes warmer air down the walls and back into the living zone without creating a draft.

Check the switch on the fan body and confirm the fan direction matches clockwise in winter. Keep the speed on low; higher speeds can cool you through wind chill and defeat the purpose. This simple adjustment can improve room-to-room temperature balance, so your thermostat won’t call for heat as often. Fans typically draw about 10–30 watts on low, far less than a furnace cycle, making this a cost-effective way to stretch the heat you’ve already paid for. Do it in bedrooms and living areas.

Insulate the Attic First for the Biggest Payoff

Ceiling fans help you redistribute heat you’ve already made, but you’ll keep far more of it by stopping losses through the attic. Heat rises, and a poorly insulated attic can be a major escape route, forcing your furnace to run longer to hold the same thermostat setting.

Start by checking your current R-value and your climate-zone target; most homes benefit from bringing levels up to code. You can blow in cellulose or fiberglass for a low cost per square foot, and you’ll usually finish in a weekend. Don’t compress batts, and keep insulation evenly distributed to avoid cold spots. Prioritize attic insulation over room-by-room fixes because it improves whole-house energy efficiency and reduces peak heating demand. Track results by comparing monthly therms or kWh after weather normalization.

Seal Duct Leaks and Insulate Exposed Ducts

Track down duct leaks next, since they can waste 20–30% of your heated air before it ever reaches the rooms you’re paying to warm. Start in unconditioned spaces like the attic, crawlspace, or garage, and focus on joints, seams, and takeoffs. Use a smoke pencil or an incense stick while the blower runs to spot drafts fast. Skip “duct tape”; instead, choose proven duct sealing techniques like mastic or UL-181 foil tape for durable, low-cost fixes.

After sealing, insulate exposed ducts to cut heat loss and stabilize supply-air temperature. Pick insulation materials rated at least R-6 for most climates, and wrap tightly without compressing. Seal insulation seams, keep clearance from recessed lights and sharp edges, and you’ll deliver more heat where you need it.

Insulate Hot-Water Pipes to Reduce Heat Loss

After you’ve stopped heated air from leaking out of your ducts, target another quiet heat waster: bare hot-water pipes. Uninsulated pipes can shed heat as water travels, so you wait longer for hot water and waste fuel keeping it hot. Wrap accessible hot-water lines in foam sleeves (R-3 to R-4) and seal seams with heat-rated tape; you’ll cut standby losses and deliver hotter water faster.

Focus first on long runs in unheated areas like basements, crawlspaces, and garages, and keep insulation at least 3 inches from water-heater flues. Materials typically cost $10–$30 for a small home, and DIY installation takes under an hour. The pipe insulation benefits show up as lower water-heating demand and better energy efficiency.

Close Off Rooms Safely (Vents, Returns, Doors)

Although it seems like an easy win, closing off unused rooms can backfire unless you manage vents, returns, and doors as a system. If you shut a supply vent but leave the return open, you can pull cold air through leaks; if you block both, you can raise pressure and drive warm air into wall cavities. Aim for balance: keep at least one return pathway active, and don’t fully close more than 10–20% of supply registers in a zone.

Use room safety measures: keep doors unlatched or install a transfer grille so air can circulate back to the return. Apply effective sealing techniques—door sweeps, draft stoppers, and weatherstripping—to cut infiltration without stressing your HVAC. Track results by checking room temps and run time over a week.

Replace Furnace Filters to Improve Airflow

Sealing doors and managing vents only pays off if your furnace can move air efficiently, and a clogged filter is one of the fastest ways to choke that airflow. When airflow drops, your system runs longer to deliver the same heat, which can push energy use up and comfort down.

Make furnace maintenance simple: check the filter monthly in winter and replace it when it looks gray, bowed, or dusty. Most households swap every 30–90 days; pets, smokers, or renovations can cut that to 20–45. Choose filter types that match your system and goals—basic fiberglass costs less but traps fewer particles, while pleated filters capture more and may improve indoor air quality. Don’t “upgrade” to ultra-dense media unless your furnace can handle the added resistance.

Schedule a Furnace Tune-Up Before Cold Snaps

Before the first cold snap hits, schedule a furnace tune-up so you’re not paying for peak-hour emergency service or burning extra fuel on an inefficient system. A basic inspection and cleaning can restore airflow, calibrate controls, and catch worn parts before they fail. Well-timed furnace maintenance helps your system hit its rated energy efficiency and reduces short-cycling that drives up kWh or therm use.

Ask your technician to measure combustion efficiency, check heat exchanger integrity, verify gas pressure, and tighten electrical connections; these steps can cut waste and improve safety. You’ll also protect the blower motor and reduce breakdown risk, which avoids after-hours fees. Book in early fall, compare flat-rate offers, and request a written report you can track year to year.

Lower Your Water-Heater Temp to Save in Winter

Once your furnace is running efficiently, target the next big winter energy load: water heating. If your tank is set above 140°F, you’re likely wasting energy. For most homes, 120°F hits safe, comfortable, ideal temperature settings and can cut water-heating costs by 4%–22%, depending on your current setpoint and hot-water use.

Lower the thermostat in 10°F steps, then check shower comfort and dishwasher performance. If you’ve got kids, older adults, or immune-compromised family, verify scald-risk guidance and consider anti-scald valves. Pair the adjustment with quick water heater maintenance: flush a few gallons to reduce sediment, test the T&P valve, and insulate the first 6 feet of hot-water pipe. You’ll save every day without new equipment.

Conclusion

You’ll cut winter energy costs fastest by controlling heat loss and running equipment efficiently. Keep your thermostat at 68°F when you’re home, then drop it 7–10°F at night; that can trim heating use by roughly 10% a year. Pair a smart schedule with quick leak checks, weatherstripping, and door sweeps to stop drafts. Swap furnace filters, book a tune-up, and set your water heater to 120°F for low-cost savings.