You rely on your home's heating system to keep you nice and cozy. If you are like most residential homeowners, you will keep your heat system turned up so you feel good and warm in spite of the cold. However, if you are facing a drastic loss of income due to a layoff, illness, or something else related to COVID-19, you know you need to cut your home heating costs going forward as much as possible. You don't necessarily have to live your days in the cold, but there are things you can do to cut your home heating costs temporarily until you get back on your feet. 

1. Lower your thermostat before going to bed. 

Sleeping in a slightly cooler room is not something that is going to harm you. In fact, you may even sleep a little sounder and more comfortably. Just dropping the temperature a few degrees at night when you go to bed can mean an attractive amount of savings on your home heating costs. For even more savings, consider heating only the bedrooms by shutting vents off in the rest of the house. 

2. Make use of bright sunlight when available. 

When the sun is out, don't block it out of your home by closing the blinds and curtains. Allow the sunlight in to warm up the house a bit. Even though modern energy-efficient windows are designed to block a lot of this heat, they can't block all the heat. 

3. Change your air filter. 

Your air filter serves the vital purpose of capturing dust and contaminants as air is cycled through the furnace. A dirty air filter in your furnace can mean your heating system uses as much as 15 percent more energy. 

4. Clean return vents and outlet vents. 

Keeping your return vents and airflow vents clean will help ensure heat is properly dispersed into your home, which will mean the system will work a lot less hard to do what it needs to do. If you have a good vacuum cleaner, use it to clear away any dust and debris you see.  

5. Get advice from a heating contractor. 

Most business owners are growing increasingly generous about helping people who are feeling the negative effects of COVID-19. It doesn't hurt to speak with a heating contractor to get some tips about how to reduce your home heating bills. Something as simple as a quick checkup from one of these professionals could also yield you some savings.  

Contact an HVAC contractors with residential heating services in your area.