3393: How to Lower Your Heating Bills This Winter by Sierra Black with Get Rich Slowly on Cutting Heating Costs

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Optimal Finance Daily
Episode Title: How to Lower Your Heating Bills This Winter by Sierra Black with Get Rich Slowly on Cutting Heating Costs
Host: Diania Merriam
Original Post By: Sierra Black (Get Rich Slowly)
Date: December 20, 2025

In this practical episode, Diania Merriam narrates Sierra Black’s actionable advice for keeping heating costs in check during the winter. The focus is on real-world, personal finance strategies—ranging from substantial home upgrades to simple daily habits—to both save money and increase comfort. Diania also shares her own experiences and insights, adding a layer of relatable, lived expertise for listeners aiming to get through the cold season without breaking the bank.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Challenge of High Heating Costs (01:05)

• Context: Sierra, living in cold New England, previously paid over $500 a month in heating bills—recent efforts have cut this in half.
  • “Our heating bills used to run over $500 a month. Last year we had them down to $250 or less. This year, I’m hoping to go even lower.” — Sierra Black (01:19)
• Goal: Create a comfortable home and a manageable utility bill without making the house unlivable.

2. Invest in Insulation and Efficiency (01:31)

• Major Upgrades: Sierra highlights two significant investments:
  • Wall insulation with blown cellulose.
  • Replacing an old burner with a high-efficiency natural gas system.
• Financing: These were funded via a 0% state energy efficiency loan, with loan payments less than their immediate heating bill savings.
  • “The loan payments are far less than the immediate savings on our heating bills. The upgrade is paying for itself already and will continue to do so long after we’ve paid off this loan.” — Sierra Black (02:03)
• Environmental Impact: Not just budget-friendly, but lowers the family’s ecological footprint.
• Further Suggestions: Upgrade windows and schedule a free energy audit—possibly includes complimentary compact fluorescent bulbs from the utility company.

3. Bundle Up—You and Your House (03:07)

• Personal Approach: Emphasizes wearing warm clothing indoors instead of heating to t-shirt temperatures.

  • “[...] I’m always turning the thermostat down and telling the kids to put on a sweater.” — Sierra Black (03:27)

• Technological Aid: Use programmable thermostats to automate heating schedules.

• Physical Home Solutions:

  • Area rugs for warmer floors.

  • Window plastics and insulated curtains to cut drafts.

  • Sealing windows and doors with draft putty or caulk.

  • “Adding layers to your house will make it feel warmer, even if the thermostat stays at a modest temperature.” — Sierra Black (04:03)

4. Use Heating Zones (05:06)

• Zoning in Older Homes: If you don’t have modern, multi-zone heating:
  • Close bedroom doors, hang drapes in hallways to exclude unused spaces from being heated.
  • “Hanging the drapes to keep the heat in the rooms and out of the hallway is new this year. [...] The comfort factor was immediate and obvious.” — Sierra Black (05:52)
• Work-From-Home Tip: Use a space heater to warm just your workspace, rather than the whole house.
  • “Rather than keep the whole house toasty, I’ve lowered the temperature on the main thermostat and set up a space heater in my office. This way I can be as warm as I like without wasting a lot of energy warming up empty rooms.” — Sierra Black (06:18)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------| | 01:19 | "Our heating bills used to run over $500 a month. Last year we had them down to $250 or less." | Sierra Black | | 02:03 | “The upgrade is paying for itself already and will continue to do so long after we’ve paid off this loan.” | Sierra Black | | 03:27 | “I’m always turning the thermostat down and telling the kids to put on a sweater.” | Sierra Black | | 04:03 | “Adding layers to your house will make it feel warmer, even if the thermostat stays at a modest temperature.” | Sierra Black | | 05:52 | “Hanging the drapes to keep the heat in the rooms and out of the hallway is new this year. [...] The comfort factor was immediate and obvious.” | Sierra Black | | 06:18 | “Rather than keep the whole house toasty, I’ve lowered the temperature on the main thermostat and set up a space heater in my office.” | Sierra Black |

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Additional Host Commentary (08:17)

• Diania’s Story: Shares her own experience buying a small house, maintaining an old yet reliable furnace, and utilizing a free in-home energy assessment.
  • Her utility provider showed her how much of her bill was fixed (service charges vs. energy usage).
  • “I was surprised to learn that I wouldn’t save much on my utility costs if I upgraded. The specialist showed me how much of my bill was due to service charges, which are fixed versus actual energy usage.” — Diania Merriam (08:59)
• Key Takeaway: Know your actual usage and fixed expenses before assuming upgrades will pay off.

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Practical Tips Checklist

• Invest in insulation and high-efficiency systems, using rebates or state loans when possible
• Get an energy audit (often free through your utility)
• Bundle up—wear warm clothing indoors and use programmable thermostats
• Add insulation layers to your home: rugs, curtains, window plastics, draft blockers
• Use heating zones: close off unused rooms, use space heaters for single-room comfort
• Evaluate the cost-benefit of upgrading appliances based on your actual usage and fixed charges

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For Listeners Seeking Actionable Change

This episode comes packed with both quick wins and longer-term strategies—rooted in experience and tested by real savings. If you apply even a few of these, your winter utility bill (and comfort level) could greatly improve.

“You just listened to the post titled ‘How to Lower Your Heating Bills This Winter’ by Sierra Black with GetRichSlowly.org.” (07:18)

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For further reading:
Find the original blog post at Get Rich Slowly, narrated and expanded upon by Diania Merriam.

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Transcript

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[Sierra Black]

Is Optimal Finance Daily how to lower your heating bills this winter by Sierra Black with getrichslowly.org the chilly season is upon us. If you live in North America, you've probably had at least a few cold nights by now. Up in my neck of the woods in the Boston area, we've had our essential heat running for a few weeks, which means we're in full swing winterizing with an eye to keep the heating bill low. Over the past few years, we've actually gotten pretty good at this. In New England, winter heat can eat up a big part of a family's budget. Our heating bills used to run over $500 a month. Last year we had them down to $250 or less. This year, I'm hoping to go even lower. No, we don't live in a refrigerator. Our house is pretty comfortable all year round. Here's how we keep the bills Invest in insulation and efficiency. Small changes can have ripple effects, but big changes are worth even more. Last year we had our walls insulated with blown cellulose insulation. We also replaced our 40 year old burner with a high efficiency natural gas system. These home improvements aren't cheap since they're good for the environment as well as your budget, though there are often government grants and loans available to help make them more affordable. We didn't have the savings to do this, so we took out a 0% loan through our state's energy efficiency program. The loan payments are far less than the immediate savings on our heating bills. The upgrade is paying for itself already and will continue to do so long after we've paid off this loan, of course, I use the savings from lower heating bills to accelerate paying off my higher interest debt. I wouldn't normally suggest taking out a loan as a step towards financial health, but in this case it clearly saved us money. It also helps shrink our whole household's environmental footprint. In addition to your heating system and your home insulation, you may want to think about upgrading your windows. To find out what big ticket investments will pay off, you can schedule a free energy audit through your utility company. They'll send someone to your home who will walk through the house and give you a full report on ways to save energy and money. When we had ours done, the nice young man also replaced all of our light bulbs with compact fluorescents, free of charge. Bundle up. There's no need to keep your house balmy enough for T shirts all year. Make sure you and your family have good, comfortable, warm clothing and don't be afraid to use it. When I was 21, I had a roommate who would turn the thermostat way down and walk around our chilly house wearing a winter hat and clutching a hot mug of tea. At the time, I mocked her with my friends as we lounged around their toasty living rooms. Now I've become that roommate. I'm always turning the thermostat down and telling the kids to put on a sweater. I don't want anyone here to feel cold. I hate being cold myself, but I've learned that wearing warm clothes is a cheap and easy way to stay cozy. Best of all, you can create your own personal heating zone. Don't like it so warm? Take off a layer. There's no fighting with your spouse about how warm to keep the living room. Not that we keep it frigid. I set our thermostat in the mid-60s during the day and turn it down at night when we're all tucked into warm beds anyway. If you don't already have one, get a programmable thermostat. They make it easy to adjust the heat for different times of the day automatically. You don't have to worry about remembering to do it. It just happens. Bundle the house up too. Don't just bundle yourself up. Adding layers to your house will make it feel warmer, even if the thermostat stays at a modest temperature. I have a nice collection of Oriental rugs that I lay down this time of year, which keeps the hardwood floors warmer on little bare feet. This is essential because small kids lose their socks at an amazing rate, but it's great just for giving the whole room a warmer feel too. I also put up window plastics and insulated curtains to cut down on drafts from the windows. If you haven't done it already, spending a few hours going around your windows and doors with some draft, ceiling putty or caulk will make a huge difference to how comfortable your home is in the winter. Use heating zones Chances are you're not using every part of your house all day long. If you live in a modern house, you probably already have several heating zones so you can program your thermostats to different temperatures in different areas. If you live in an older house like mine, you probably have just one thermostat that controls the whole system. That means that if it's 64 degrees in my living room, the heat kicks on. If it's 65, the heat shuts off because it's warm enough. Doesn't matter what the temperature is in the rest of the house. There's no way for the heating system to know that. To solve this problem, I've created a bunch of heat zones in my house. By keeping the bedroom doors closed upstairs and hanging drapes in the hallway doors downstairs, I cut our drafty hallway and staircase out of the heating system entirely. Now the radiators in each room only have to heat those rooms, not those rooms, plus several hundred square feet of largely unused hallway space. I was shocked at the difference this made to how warm the house felt. Hanging the drapes to keep the heat in the rooms and out of the hallway is new this year. I did it just a few weeks ago. I won't know for months yet whether it pays off in reduced heating bills or not, but the comfort factor was immediate and obvious. The other heating zone change I made was to my workspace. I'm the only person home most of the day, and I spend most of the day in my office. Rather than keep the whole house toasty, I've lowered the temperature on the main thermostat and set up a space heater in my office. This way I can be as warm as I like without wasting a lot of energy warming up empty rooms. You just listened to the post titled how to lower your heating bills this winter by Sierra Black with getrichslowly.org Close your eyes.

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Wayfair Every style, every Home I think the best thing I did to keep my heating bill low is buy a small house. And when I bought it, I anticipated that I would need to replace the furnace in the first year or two. That furnace is older than me. I get that thing serviced every year, and it's still going strong. I was told by my H Vac guy that the furnace was made during a time when this stuff was built to last. So as long as I take care of it, in theory, it could last for many more years to come. I also had my utility provider do a free in Home energy assessment. These programs help you learn how your home uses energy and how you can save on your monthly bills. They'll often check your home for air leaks, examine your insulation levels, check your appliances, and more. I wanted to evaluate the savings I might see on my bill if I upgraded to a more efficient system. I was surprised to learn that I wouldn't save much on my utility costs if I upgraded. The specialist showed me how much of my bill was due to service charges, which are fixed versus actual energy usage. And he advised that my energy usage is already much lower than what they would expect for a house my size. And that will do it for today. Have a great day and weekend. Thank you for listening and I'll be back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.