(NC) Heating bills can be one of your family's largest expenses. Homes are typically heated by natural gas, electricity or heating oil. In Ontario, natural gas is the most affordable choice for heating your home – rates change based on the market every three months, but natural gas still costs less than half the price of electricity or oil.
About 60 per cent of your annual natural gas use goes toward keeping your home warm. Since many natural gas costs are passed through directly to the customers, reducing your natural gas consumption can help to lower the bills. Here are some tips from Enbridge Gas Distribution on how you can keep your energy costs low.
• Check your windows and doors. Is the caulking or weather stripping doing its job? Look for cracks, feel for drafts, and replace the caulking or weather stripping as necessary.
• Lower the temperature on your thermostat by three degrees when you're sleeping or out of the house.
• Is it a sunny day? Open the curtains to let the sun shine in. Not only will you get some needed vitamin D, but the sun will help to warm your home.
• Close the air vents and doors to rooms that you don't frequently use – like guest bedrooms or basements. Considering making a DIY draft-stopper to use at the bottom of these doors.
• Check with your natural gas utility to see if they have billing programs – such as Enbridge's Budget Billing Plan which allows you to distribute your charges fairly evenly for the majority of the year.
• See if you qualify for low-income assistance programs – like Enbridge's Home Winterproofing Program.
More energy efficiency tips are available online at enbridgegas.com/energyefficiency.
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