3 Inexpensive Heating Tips: Save Money on your Power Bill 

Sorry I should have been clearer about applying the bubble wrap. I just spritz plain water on the flat side of the bubble wrap and the suction pressure will keep it on for months. If it dries out and starts to fall off, just do it again. I have reused the same pieces of wrap for years. Also they do let in enough light for my plants to grow.

We use a small crock pot to add moisture to the air. Uses minimal electricity. Can also toss some herbs or spices in and have a nice aroma in the house.

Great ideas! Here in Michigan past few weeks was like Antarctic here! Super long lasting candles that will last two weeks. Need the giant can of crisco n tapered candles and metal pails. Put 2 tapered candles in the crisco. Push them all the way to the bottom of the crisco. Trim the candles first so only a half inch sticks up above the crisco. Place each can of crisco in a metal pail. Great light and heat source and will last for weeks at 8 hours a day use...

The bubble wrap (with another layer of clear plastic over it) is what l used for many years in an unheated glass greenhouse. l was able to keep many plants from freezing or dying over the winter. And also found that just having a few regular lamps (with their lampshades removed) created enough heat to really be of help. The bubble wrap became thermal -- keeping cold out and heat in. Never thought to use in the house......But am going to try now!

Thanks so much for this idea. I am an obsessive recycler. I get large and smaller bubble wrap with my grocery orders, so I am halfway there, but will go to Amazon for more. I block my window a.c.'s in the winter, instead of removing them and then re-installing in the summer. Bubble wrap and duct tape is a good way to do it. You can also use the plastic covered padding that stores use for shipping perishable foods and frozen meat, etc. I just anchor it over the a.c. with duct tape and the draperies cover it, so it doesn't show. It's hardly noticeable from the outside, especially if there is a tree or bush near the window. Also, the window could be in a place where no one notices, and who cares...they don't pay the electric bill. lol

great to see you again, you're looking well. I live in a 1940s log home with original Windows and doors. to say it's frosty is an understatement. yesterday morning it was 4 degrees at 9a.m. I can use all the hints on staying warm that I can get. These were very inexpensive and practical. Thanks

When I was 12 I put bubble wrap on my bedroom window. My dad thought I was nuts until he saw how much warmer my room was. The following winter we did all the windows in the house. That was back in the early 70s.

In Canada we would put a bubble on the car side windows to keep them from iceing over worked great

Ceiling fans and/or floor fans are absolutely essential. They blow heat down from the ceiling to the floors where it's needed most, and they help make moisture on windows dry up, helping to minimize mold and mildew. We have a ceiling fan even in our bathroom, which is really helpful for several reasons! It is on a zero to 15 minute timer, so you can set it, walk out after your shower, and it will dry out the bathroom and then turn itself off.

ERIC thanks. My neighbour's old log house is cold so I am passing this to him. I love the look of your windows with bubbles. Thanks a lot

Be careful with the dryer idea and keep an eye on your humidity as if it gets too high you can have a breeding ground for mold and mildew. You want to keep the humidity in the 40--50% range and no higher.

I'm going to try this it's not so much on saving $ but I do love saving $ but my elderly mother gets very cold and I hate it when she gets she cause she means the world to me.

And wouldn't you know I forgot to put a container of water near the lounge room heater this winter. But, I'm 80 and forget something sometimes. You're a Godsend. Great ideas. Many blessings, thank you.

i live in Australia and we get really strong cold winds from the south pole every winter, i wrap my fly screens in cling wrap and keep the wind out.

My mother always had electric dryers. She would put a pantyhose stocking on end on dryer an duct tape it every winter to catch lint.Summer toss the pantyhosehose convert dryer hose back to outside again. Also adding rolled up towels, etc to bottom of window sill helps with drafts. If ur putting plastic on window save newspapers, brown bags, magazines fold like a ruler long an 1 or 1/2 inche wide. Use them folded in plastic over windows. Helps with extra insulation. Also helps so it doesnt tear as easy if kids or animals lean on plastic. Just few of my mama's tips.

never thought of the dryer thing, going to try it, thanks. I cut my power bill in half by just turning off my water heater until 30 minutes before I take a shower.

about 20 years ago there was an attachment to the dryer exhaust line that was designed specifically for this purpose. . i haven't seen it since then, it had a small square box with filters in it that collected lint . i supplement heat with wood so any extra humidity is a bonus . mold is not a welcome option. cheers

I did just plastic on my sliding glass door and the dryer trick and I saved around $300 a month during the winter months in Indiana!!!!! I love free money!

I like the bubble wrap idea providing privacy and view at the same time.

Thanks for the dryer idea it will help me this winter.I have poor installation and patio doors in my kitchen freeze isn't the word.This idea will work perfectly.

I just ordered my bubble wrap and am going to work on converting my dryer this weekend. These are awesome ideas. Thanks!

Excellent idea about the bubble wrap man. I am living in an RV with the only heat being a propane stove. Thanks from S.L.C., Ut.

OH ,WHEN I WAS AT HOME AT MY PARENTS I HAD A CLUB HOUSE IN THE GARDEN SHED ,AND I COMPLETELY COVERED THE INSIDE WITH BUBBLE WRAP AND EVEN THE ROOF AND THE FLOORS I DID IN FOAM AND CARPET AND IT WAS SO COSY AND I EVEN HAD A HIFI IN THERE AND A FAN HEATER WHICH YOU ONLY NEEDED TO HAVE ON FOR LIKE 5 MINUTES AND IT STAYED WARM EVEN IN THE SNOW AND ICY DAYS I MISS MY OLD DEN ,

Thanks great ideas. Like how the bubble wrap looks on the windows, both inside and outside.

I bought a house 2 years, but it is an old war time home -77 years old, and it was never insulated in the attic - ever. So the electrical wires were all over the attic floor, so I made a subfloor to avoid walking on the wires, and used 2 x 3 to support the subfloor and covered them with the OSB boards you buy at Home Depot that have the blue insulation (blue side down) on them and they interlock together. Then I put up baffels and then insulation and then the vapour barrier in the ceiling area. The side pitch I will not be using was insulated also and a 38 inch wall was covered around the 24 x 12 feet walls. In 2017-18 season I used 3 tanks of propane from November until March. In season 2018-19, I have used only 1 tank and maybe get from November to Februarys end until I fill up for the second time. Insulating the attic has made it really warmer on the first floor. As there is no basement beneath the first floor, I did put a double door on the opening where you have the crawl space, and maybe having the laminate floor insulating the floor (which means 2 floors laid with vapour barrier in between the floors has also helped. One last thing, all this was done by a 70 year old woman - me, and have not only saved on the heating bill (colder 2018-19 year so far), but the internet taught me a lot of tips to save the heating money. I did put the heavy plastic also on three windows on the outside. The kitchen, small and large bedroom window have helped save on heating bills. Last thing I did, was build a 5 foot high fence at the back of my property that stopped the wind from the water tower's wire fence that separated all our properties from the water tower land. Having that solid fence - all solid boards were together with no wind going between the usual fence. Thanks for the tip on using bubble wrap, may have to try that next, especially on the back bathroom window that faces the back yard with the water tower winds.

Without using any water I've done this already using nothing more than scotch tape to anchor it down. Yes, much to my surprize and :) it works.

Thanks! I live in the U.K. in a very old cottage with very little insulation, I had the attic spray foamed and that’s it.

Winter is dark enuf already - ur ideas in general for savings- but shrink wrap works great and it's absolutely clear and u get the sun, the few hours you can. A Vermonter.

You're right about moisture heating a home. But people forget that making homemade soup or stews creates MUCH Moisture. You will be amazed how much 1 pot of slow cooking soup will magnify your home heating system. The heat remains for a long time. But it will also give your nose memories of how a home smells. Baking cookies & Breads for friends & family will also help.

I have used the dryer idea and actually works well but if u do laundry like 5xs a day it can be bad and there is to much moisture.. So this works great for 1 or 2 loads a day.. If u use your laundry machines more then this i dont suggest it cuz of the moisture that it causes in the home.. In my home in KY we had issues with mildew and mold growing.. In my MI home it worked great.. Just depends i guess

If you can actually feel a cold draft, track it down and seal it. Weatherstripping on doors and windows, caulking, foam gaskets on outlet plates, even a rolled up towel under a door can save a lot. An infrared camera will stun you with all the heat leaks it can find. They have cheap ones that work with smart phones.

Cool. Were going through a major cold spell in Yorkshire England at the moment,its freezing never known it so cold.

I've done the dryer vent thing and it works great! Good tips...

We used the dryer method to help heat our 120-year-old house, there are a couple things to be wary of, the walls behind my furniture were very cold due to lack of insulation and in the spring I found black mold growing behind my large chests of drawers. So the next year I pulled out the dressers away from the walls several inches and made sure the ceiling fans were on to better circulate the air. If you start sneezing a lot, check the water in the bucket, it is either too low or the hose is too far from the water and lint is just blowing around your house. My husband used a pair of pantyhose and covered the end of the flexible pipe one year and didn't use the bucket at all, this worked well for a while, and even if you leave a length of hose off the end of the flexible pipe it would collect and clog the hose. Lastly, we needed to stop using dryer sheets, the chemical on the sheets seemed to cover some surfaces with kind of a sticky residue which caused dust to collect, my husband also was plagued with sinus problems we think from the chemicals on the sheets floating around the house. On super cold days, it was a great time to do laundry, however, sometimes the extra moisture made the house feel a little clammy and would fog the windows. Overall I think we saved on our heating bill saving laundry days for times we would be home all day and the days that were the coldest.

Years ago I had a commercial version of your electric dryer bucket to vent the hot dryer air back into the house. I discontinued it's use when the whole house started to smell like a Chinese laundry. Moisture in the air has to be monitored -- too much promotes mold and fungus growths.

Heres some better ways to save money on your heating bill from someone whos fixed up and restored houses. 1 seal up all of your ductwork and insulate it. You can buy metal insulating tape and caulk for duct work at Lowes cheap.Also the insulation is not that expensive 2 Put another layer of insulation in your attic .Its not that expensive if you do it yourself 3 make sure there are no gaps or cracks around your window frames and windows. If there are just put some caulk in the gaps.

Works great... we've used this for a few years now, living in northern IL

Watched another video about using dryer for this reason. Many warned of moisture in air causing MOLD issues!!! Idk, but may want to be careful if you do this. Also, I was thinking if you add a piece of window screen across the lid, under the holes (Or tape some around each hole)....it will help get any particles that DON'T get caught by the water. Just a thought. 🤔😊🖒🖒

For the dryer vent you could also use a single thigh-high pantyhose stocking that has elastic at the top to secure to the vent and a ponytail hair band to tighten and secure it to the vent even further.

Bubble wrap love it ,doing for years. You can tell the difference

Prepper Princess has a video on the bubble wrap too. I'm definitely gonna have to try that! Especially in my bedroom which seems colder than any room in the house.

In the spring the birds will LOVE all the lint for their leedle nests!

Hot moisture equals mold in some climates, like Oregon, Washington and the like, so not for everyone.

The bubble wrap idea is excellent, its so obvious that I don't know why everyone didn't think of it sooner! LOL

The dryer trick...I think I'd like to try and get a fish tank net 'skimmer'(?)and clean out the lint; repurpose the water for the toilet tank. Wouldn't let that 'dryer' water to sit too long...Conserve water and a bit of a break on a water bill?? Also, I am highly allergic to fabric softener products of any type. I like to pull my laundry out of the dryer in my apt complex, small stuff on top of heavier items. Pour my white vinegar over it. Keeps the lighter items from drying and wearing out too fast. When they do dry first, the smaller items with white vinegar kind of double as a fabric sheet softener although I do make sure my washclothes and dish towels are dampened well. The white vinegar acts as both a disinfectant and deodarant and 1 gallon of it costs much less than the heavily perfumed brand name versions. I like quality items, quality cleaning at bargain prices and much better if these products are good to the enviroment we all share!

Great tips! My husband will try them for sure!

not sure about electric costs where you are, but I've found both in the UK & NZ that electric dryers run up the power bill. Also, last house I had, had unflued gas heaters (read; put moisture into atmosphere) & they heated ok-ish, but once you turned them off, the house was full of condensation which (once you removed the heat) would drag the temperature down really quickly, so ended up having to have the windows open to vent moisture out to get rid of excess damp that got into everything. Ended up spending winters with windows ajar & rugging up (layering up in lots of fleece).

I think I would paint the bubbles to give it a stained glass look

Legend! You can even add essential oil to the bucket and would make the room smell great!

thanks for sharing ideas for keeping our home warmer and cbeaper

People who gives dislikes are just being idiots , superb ideas thanks bunches

Only do the dryer thing if it is extremely dry in your house. A better strategy is to save money on not drying your clothes in the dryer at all.

Thanks for the bubble wrap idea! Got a pile at work.

In the past I've just tied an old pair of pantyhose to the vent...worked great, although I must say it looked strange and there were no problems with too much water on the walls on a heavy laundry day. When the hose are full of lint, throw them out and get another pair. Someone was using the lint for something but I can't remember what.

I'll take my chances and buy the Vicks WarmMist. It's simple, less stress to put together and i this can help me with my allergies!

Thank you and Merry Christmas

Trapped air is a good insulator, way to go, man.

I cut 2" closed cell poly insulation panels to fit tight in each window. You can paint them with latex or acrylic instead of that awful pink.. Then just fit snug and are easily placed in or taken out with no support.

You could use tempura paint to make a stained glass effect.

Thanks this is great! I rent house with no insulation & many large windows. I'm going to try this.

Very interesting tips I've never heard before !!!

Great info as usual. You are looking better and better these days so my prayers are answered and will keep you in my prayers

Aha! Ive been using the small bubbles...time to change it. Thx!

The dryer also creates mold, black at that.

I love this video. In the past I used plastic wrap and a blow dryer because we added a room and that let a lot of cold air blow through. Sometimes I can feel a gale wind. I will go on Amazon and get bubble wrap. Great idea thank you

awesome ideas rhx for sharing. I just finished putting plastic on both my kitchen windows two days ago. wish I'd seen this sooner. next winter for sure.

We paper towels covering half of the vent would help with humidity. We have a little one, so we put it under the vent. Still lets out air, and humidifies it a little in the process. A little maintenance would be needed to keep them wet, depending on how much your furnace runs, but worth it to me.

NEVER display a "crystal ball" in a window. If the sun shines through the ball your house WILL go up in flames very quickly.

That’s a good idea my pg&e over 80$ a month thank you 4sharing...

Great ideas. Thanks so much. I've used the shrink wrap on my windows for years--the wind comes through and blows it off. I'll try adding the bubble wrap. My dryer's been on the fritz for months, so that's out. Peace.

Legionnaire's loves your electric clothes dryer solution.

Seems to me a fabulous idea!!! Bubble Wrap...I used it on my front is Mylardoor, so people couldn't hear me from out in the hall of this huge apartment Bldg...One thing to really keep warm, even in freezing conditions is a Mylar blanket, they have different weights which cost more, but around a dollar apiece at Amazon It reflects 80% of your body heat back to you, !! Don't put on top of sheets, or the blanket on top of the sheets, or you will cook!!! I have a second blanket I rarely use, an I taped it on the front side of that blanket...Tape it or it will be floating off the bed!!! Only weighs about an ounce!! When you need that second blanket, it's really warm, but not so hot!! Feels like an electric blanket!!

I like the bubbles wrap it looks good too.

That's funny I'm in new hampshire looking at alternative heading ideas, great video

Ummm, mold? Our heater broke so now we have mold issues AND we are freezing. Alaska can suck.

Adding the exhaust from the clothes drier into your home can cause mold & mildew build-up inside your walls, in the insulation. The damage might not be immediately visible, but later when power & heat are restored, you might be facing very expensive bills as the walls will need to be torn down , mold removed, and then re-drywalled. The health risks due to black mold will make your home not only unlivable but also unsellable. Edit:- this is such bad advice that I believe it might make you liable for damages.

Ok here is you a tip with the dryer thing take dryer hose end that you put i the bucket and put a panty hose on the end of it you catch all the lint and get heat at the same time then when the panty hose is full you can use that for fire starter if you have a wood stove works great

Never thought of using bubble wrap...Makes since, but, being from Missouri, I'll have see it for myself...lol...I'm thinking just the privacy it offers makes since too, and letting light in for the pants, without baking them....Now, whether it actually helps the heat bill or not, we'll see, but it is still a good idea...My thanks to the gent that made this.

Love the heat saving ideas! Thank you

Adding moisture will ruin your house. The people who build houses for a living have industries built about the elimination/prevention of moisture IN your house. Mold, mildew, and rot will happen if you take the GALLONS of moisture from your laundry and put it in your home. I won’t even comment on the danger to your health, but the danger to your house is amazing.

how much r value you think? great job, keep it coming.

If you want excess humidity and a great medium for growing black mold, then vent your dryer into the house.

Wear layers of clothes and wear a hat. Use an electric blanket at night instead of extra heat in the bed room and wear layers and socks and hat to bed. Sleep with your dog if you're really cold because the dog's normal body temp is 102 while people it is about 98. Open up a cold temp sleeping bag on your bed. Get insulated curtains if you don't like the decorative look of bubble wrap. Stay warm everyone !

Thanks for the idea of the bubble wrap. I have huge windows from floor to ceiling.

4-5 yrs ago I put bubble wrap on our sliding glass door, but did it so the door can still be opened . closed. The part that moves got bubblewrap on the inside while the stationary half got it on the outside. Also, due to the stupid ceiling-mou ted heat vents, one of which points to that door due to the register slats, I taped carboard to direct the air downward into the room a tad more. Of course at my height tbe heat has mostly cooled to tepid. So bubblewrap the TOPS of your windows, or you'll lose lots of heat.

Bubble wrap does help, tried it last yr. Yup in NH and i still needvto use very thick plastic w bubble wrap, stay warm people.

Very cool! In Chicago right now and these ideas are great. thank you!

I tried This and it really works for real.

It will add mould to the atmosphere

Put the bubble side toward the window.. works better

Cool ideas thanks. I live in Barboursville wv and I have a feeling that it's gonna get pretty cold this year.

Bubble Wrap seems good for privacy ... I like Energy Saver Window Inserts very much

You better check your furnace filter more often when using this dryer heat recovery system. The water will NOT catch ALL the lint. Try fitting a little open cell foam into the bucket lid's exhaust holes to catch more lint. You probably better off with a high efficiency furnace filter too. Basic cheapos will let a lot of lint through to your blower motor. Once a blanket forms in the windings ( as WILL eventually happen), you'll be at risk for a very smoky house or even a fire. You'll need to vacuum the motor at least once after the heating season, and maybe a couple more times during if you use the cheap filters. Monitoring moisture levels is also a good idea. If they get too high, you may need to start using a dehumidifier. You don't want the air so humid that mold and mildew start thriving.

I DID THE BUBBLE WRAP ON THE WINDOWS AND IT DOES WORK. THERE IS AN UNPLEASANT SIDE EFFECT. THEY LEAVE PERMANENT BUBBLE CIRCLES ON YOUR WINDOWS.

What are you spraying the window with? Water? Does that make the bubble wrap stick to the window?

I have an electric dryer........I save greatly by using my stand alone wooded foldout ................I save plenty

I do the dryer thing in the winter in Ohio . Just get some old knee high hose put over the end of the dryer hose to catch the lint . Either rinse out or toss and put on a new one . Find at the thrift stores a lot still in packages .

Loving these ideas! Thanks for the video and the comments have great ideas as well. You've got a new subscriber now 😀

Love the bubble wrap idea. I live in an old drafty house and my kitchen gets so cold! Thanks!

It looks like you are over watering your jade plant 🍀☘🍀 hello from Maine .