How weatherizing your home can help you save money this winter

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Inland Northwest’s recent drop in temperatures may have you reaching for your home’s thermostat, but there’s actually more you should do to keep your home warm this winter, all while saving money.

“It can be really expensive to heat your home in the winter,” said Nicole Bishop with SNAP.

To help with these costs, SNAP recommends weatherizing your home. That entails sealing any and all spaces under doors, windows, or anywhere else a draft can come in.

“Under your sink, those pipes could be a source of drafts, if you still have a window air unit from the summer, it’s a great time to get an air conditioner cover, and make sure that you’re plugging all those gaps where air can get in. That’s really a huge way to save on that,” Bishop said.

Not only can this keep you warmer, but it can also bring down your energy bill.

“It’s really a great way to keep that heat inside your home, and then there are things you could do year-round that’ll save on your energy bill,” Bishop said.

Now is also the best time to change any furnace filters if you haven’t yet. Bishop also recommends keeping your thermostat to 68 degrees.

And if you need extra help, SNAP also offers services to come to your home, and winterize it themselves.

“We’ve heard from some families, the first month after they used weatherization on their home, they saved over 100 dollars on their energy bills so it could really cause a great deal of savings while also providing those updates to the home that you, own and love,” Bishop said.

If you do need someone from SNAP to come to your home to help, fill those forms out fast, it can take up to a month to get an appointment.

READ: Your heating bill could go up this winter; here’s how to save money

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