Most people realize they should turn down the heat at night, and turn off lights in unused rooms. This can save you around a hundred dollars a year that I'm sure you'd much rather spend somewhere else.
So, I think your chief focus should be the windows. These are the biggest source of heat loss in your home all winter.
The first thing you should do is make sure they are caulked all around the outside edges and don't forget under the sills. Our neighbors just had a kitchen fire (it proved uneventful) and smoke just poured out around the window frams and sills even though they had the windows done last year. So first caulk the windows all around the outside. Then indoors, put temporary silicon caulk all around the the movable part of the window you've closed tight for the winter. There are many brands of bathroom type caulks which will pull free in the Spring. Make sure all indoor window seams are caulked tight. According to studies, this should save you a couple hundred dollars if you heat in the North. Well worth ten dollars in caulking materials.
However, windows still radiate tons of heat at night even through double panes and storm windows.
One way to prevent this is too make quilted window shades. You can simply make quilt covers for old blanket pieces, and hang them over the frames so they can be lifted during the day and put down tight at night. If you are pressed for time, or in a power out just hang blankets and quilts over the windows to hold in the heat.
During the day you can make heat catchers for the south facing windows. In an emergency, just hanging black plastic garbage bags over south windows with an inch gap at the bottom and top. This will raise the temperature of the southern rooms by twenty degrees over outside temps. For more elaborate plans for winter "heat catchers" go to:
www.madbbs.com/users/pinteareed/heat.html
and see how to make a cardboard frame with foil painted black inside. These can be hung in back of drapes and shades to catch heat in south facing windows.
Even black liners pinned to the back of draperies will raise winter temperatures in your house during the day. Black catches heat.
To make inexpensive window mounted external solar heat collectors go to the sites below for plans and information. We used a number of the internal heat catchers last year, and will test some externally mounted ones this winter. I'll report back later on how well the external ones work. As for the internal heat catchers last winter they saved us around a hundred dollars a month (30 percent) in heating bills above the savings created by caulking. In less frigid winter climes the savings may well be higher. We live in a ski area so imagine out heating cost most winters.
Plans for these are at:
Self Reliance
http://www.jrwhipple.com/sr
and
Clear Dome Solar
Clear Dome Solar Window Foil
So to summarize all this:
1) Get the best prices from:
LowerMyBills.com
2)Make sure to turn down heat in unused room at everywhere at night.
3)Caulk windows inside and out.
4) Use storm windows or plastic storm sheeting to make double panes.
5) Make heat catchers or line drapes with black cloth to catch heat during the day.
6)Make Night window quilts or put up blankets.
7)Make external solar heat catchers if time and budget allow.
With these simple steps you should save hundreds of dollars this winter!
Enjoy!
For more ideas Check out these Frugal Living Books!
Complete Tightwad Gazzette
The Complete Tightwad Gazzette
Declare Your Finanacial Independence
Declare Your Financial Independence
Complete Cheapskate
Mary Hunt's Complete Cheapskate
Miserly Moms
Miserly Moms
You Can Afford to Stay Home With your Kids
You can Afford to stay Home WIth your Kids
