AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Chilly weather has invaded the Panhandle and for many of us that means it's time to crank up the heaters. But, that can also mean forking out the extra bucks to foot the bill.
"If you look at your bill on average, more than half of it is going to heating and cooling," said Xcel Spokesperson Wes Reeves. "So, if you're worried about money and the rising price of things, you can actually do a lot to bring that cost down."
First, make sure whatever heat your paying for is staying inside your house.
"You can go around your doors and windows and feel for cold air," said Reeves. "Especially on a really cold day, you'll feel it infiltrating into your house."
If you do feel any air currents leaking in around your windows or doors, try filling them with plastic sheeting or weather stripping. Bad news for your fireplace-lovers -- it could actually be cooling your home.
"It feels warm immediately around the fire but of course what you're doing in order to vent the smoke, you're pulling air out and you're also taking hot air out through the chimney," added Reeves.
So make sure you close the damper when you're not using it and as much as you want to shut your heater off when you leave the house -- don't. It may be costing you more.
"Manage your thermostat a little bit better," said Reeves. "Try to keep the setting no higher than 68 degrees, depending on your comfort level. You can set it back a little bit, maybe 65 or something like that but you don't want to get the house so cold that it takes you forever to get it warm again."
Because even when the weather outside is frightful, keeping your home warm in the winter shouldn't be.
