Heating and cooling your home accounts for about half of your energy bills. Fortunately, rearranging your furniture and other small adjustments to your home can make it feel warmer or cooler, which can help lower your energy bill.
Move furniture away from the windows
Though sitting next to a window is great for the view, it can make you feel colder during the winter. Move your big pieces of furniture, like the bed or sofa, away from the windows and closer to the center of the room to feel warmer without turning up the temperature.
Clear your radiator and vents
Be sure to move any furniture or curtains away from your radiator and heating/cooling vents so they aren’t blocking the airflow and the heat or A/C can flow freely through your home.
Separate heating and cooling appliances
Is your fridge next to your stove? If so, the heat from the stove makes your refrigerator work harder to keep your groceries cold. To use less energy, move any appliances that create heat away from your refrigerator so it doesn’t have to work as hard.
Cover your exterior walls
Do you have a bookcase or large painting in your living room? If so, consider placing them against the exterior wall to act as a radiant barrier, so you feel warmer during the winter and cooler during the summer.
Add living plants
Plants can increase the humidity of a room as moisture evaporates from the leaves and into the air — creating a living, breathing humidifier. This can help the air feel warmer and hold heat better, so you can turn down your thermostat.
Looking for more energy-saving tips? See how to landscape your way to a more energy-efficient home.
