When winter strikes you have to be prepared. Heating oil prices are going through the roof these days, just like car petrol prices they are rising further and further. A lot of people decide to waste and waste there heating oil by keeping it running all day and then opening windows and doors. It's just basically like throwing money out on the street. There are a few basic tips to keep in mind in the winter seasons that will definitely make life just that little bit cheaper.



Firstly and most importantly the way to save the most of your energy is to insulate your house as if it were based in the North Pole! Insulation will allow you to turn off your heaters as soon as the house hits the right temperature and then when you actually turn them off, instead of the home getting cold within 30 minutes you will be able to keep in the heat for at least 10 hours.

The way to do this is to find out where all of the major air leaks occur in your home. For example people with chimneys, especially the old ones will suffer from major drafts that the wind can blow in. So in the winter days you will have to find a way to block this, you can buy insulation from your local hardware stores that will work as a sort of blanket to stop the wind.

I think the biggest problem would probably be that of the doors. Doors are quite the nuisance sometimes because of the simple fact that they can let in a lot of breeze, and are quite hard to insulate because they always need to be used, it could also pose a potential fire hazard risk. A good technique to use to insulate drafts caused by gaps in doors is to get a piece of thin material, whether this is a piece of old clothing or a wash towel they will all do the trick. You should get a piece of double sided tape and place this thin material on the top and sides of each door throughout the house, this will eliminate around 70% of the breeze.

Finally if you feel that the above is abit on the extreme side, there are other ways to save yourself a few pounds. There are various companies which can offer you lower rates on your heating oil. The way in which these work are people throughout your area place orders and then one truck load delivers to all places in one hit, giving you and your neighbours the ultimate saving by bulk purchasing.