The most reliable way to lower your winter heating bill is to keep the heat you already pay for inside the house. Start by sealing air leaks and adding attic and wall insulation, since those deliver the largest, longest-lasting savings. Then layer on smaller steps: thermostat setbacks, furnace care, weatherstripping, ceiling fans, sunlight and sealed ducts.
If you live in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Coeur d'Alene or Post Falls, you already know the pattern. The furnace kicks on in October, the first gas bill of the season lands, and you start wondering how much of that heat is drifting out through the attic or the walls.
The good news is that some fixes cost very little and take an afternoon. Others take more planning but keep paying back every winter. Below, we rank all eight by how much difference they tend to make, so you can spend your time and money where it counts.
Why do heating bills climb so fast in the Inland Northwest?
Spokane County and Kootenai County both sit in the Department of Energy's Climate Zone 5. That is a cold climate, and it means your furnace runs for a long stretch of the year, from the first chilly fall nights well into spring.
If you heat with Avista natural gas or electricity, every hour your furnace runs shows up on that monthly bill. When a home leaks air or lacks insulation, the furnace has to replace that lost heat again and again. That is why small gaps add up to big numbers over a long Inland Northwest winter.
Older homes feel this the most. Many houses on the South Hill, in north Spokane neighborhoods and in older parts of Coeur d'Alene were built when insulation standards were much looser, and some have walls with little or nothing inside them.
Which fixes lower your heating bill the most?
Here are the eight fixes in order of typical impact. The first two do the heavy lifting. The rest are worthwhile, lower-cost steps that help most once the house can actually hold its heat.
1. Should you seal air leaks first?
Yes, air sealing belongs at the top of the list. Warm air escapes through small openings you rarely notice: around attic hatches, recessed lights, plumbing and wiring holes, chimney chases and the rim joist where the house meets the foundation.
Every bit of warm air that slips out gets replaced by cold air leaking in somewhere else, and your furnace pays for the difference. ENERGY STAR estimates homeowners can save an average of 15 percent on heating and cooling costs by air sealing their homes and adding insulation. Your own results depend on your house and how you heat it, but that pairing is where the biggest savings usually start.
Sealing works best when it happens before new attic insulation goes down, because once insulation covers the attic floor, those leaks are much harder to reach.
2. How much do attic and wall insulation help?
Insulation is the fix that keeps working all winter, every winter, without you thinking about it. It slows the flow of heat out of your living space, so the furnace cycles less often to hold the same temperature.
For our climate zone, ENERGY STAR recommends R-49 to R-60 in the attic. Many older Spokane and North Idaho homes have far less than that, especially if the insulation has settled or was never topped up. Walls matter too. In an older home with empty or thinly filled wall cavities, rooms along outside walls often stay chilly no matter where the thermostat sits.
Wall insulation can be added to existing homes from the outside, without removing drywall. If you are curious whether that approach makes sense for your house, an in-home assessment is the simplest way to find out what is in your attic and walls right now.
3. Does a programmable or smart thermostat really save money?
It can, if you actually use the schedule. The savings come from setting the temperature back while you sleep or while the house is empty, then warming it up again before you get home or wake up.
A programmable or smart thermostat simply makes that habit automatic. The amount you save depends on how far and how long you set it back, and on how well your home holds heat. A tight, well-insulated house keeps its warmth longer during a setback, which is one more reason insulation comes first.
4. How often should you service your furnace and change the filter?
ENERGY STAR recommends inspecting your furnace filter once a month and cleaning or changing it as needed. It also suggests a professional pre-season checkup, with fall being the time to look at your heating system.
A clogged filter makes the blower work harder to move air, and a furnace that has not been checked may not run as efficiently as it should. October is a good month to handle both, before the coldest weeks arrive.
5. Are door sweeps and weatherstripping worth the effort?
For a small cost and an hour or two of work, yes. Exterior doors and older windows are common spots for drafts, especially where weatherstripping has flattened, cracked or pulled away.
Hold the back of your hand near the edges of a closed door on a cold, windy evening. If you feel moving air or see daylight at the bottom, a door sweep and new weatherstripping are an easy improvement. These steps help with comfort right away, though they cover a much smaller share of the home than a full attic and wall upgrade.
6. Should you reverse your ceiling fans in winter?
Warm air rises and collects near the ceiling, which is wasted heat if you are sitting on the couch below it. The U.S. Department of Energy advises reversing ceiling fans in winter so they spin clockwise on a low speed, which gently moves that warm air back down into the room.
This works best in rooms with high or vaulted ceilings. Most fans have a small switch on the motor housing that changes direction.
7. Can sunlight through your windows help heat the house?
On clear winter days, sunlight coming through south-facing windows adds a little extra warmth to the rooms it reaches. Open those curtains or blinds during the day so the sun can do some of the work.
Once the sun goes down, close them. Curtains and blinds add a layer between the room and the cold glass, which helps keep that daytime warmth inside a bit longer.
8. Is it worth sealing your ductwork?
If your furnace pushes warm air through ducts in an unheated attic, crawlspace or garage, leaks there can waste a surprising amount of heat. ENERGY STAR notes that in a typical house, about 20 to 30 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost to leaks, holes and poorly connected ducts.
Sealing the joints with mastic or metal-backed tape, then insulating ducts that run through unheated spaces, helps more of that heat reach the rooms you are paying to warm. Ducts hidden inside walls or ceilings are harder to reach, so this is often a job for a heating contractor.
Myth vs. fact: what really lowers a winter heating bill?
Myth: Cranking the thermostat up heats the house faster.
Fact: A typical furnace puts out heat at the same rate whether you set it to 68 or 78. A higher setting just keeps it running longer, past the point where the room felt comfortable.
Myth: Closing vents in unused rooms saves money.
Fact: Closing too many vents can add pressure in the duct system and push more air out through duct leaks. Keeping vents open and putting your effort into sealing and insulation usually pays off better.
Myth: A new furnace is the fastest way to lower your bill.
Fact: Even an efficient new furnace loses ground in a house that leaks heat. Sealing air leaks and adding insulation reduce how much heat the home needs in the first place, which helps any furnace, old or new.
Myth: If the attic has some insulation, the job is done.
Fact: Older insulation settles and was often installed well below today's recommendations. ENERGY STAR recommends R-49 to R-60 in the attic for our climate zone, and many older homes fall short, with walls that may hold little or none.
Where should you start this fall?
Start with the habits you can change today. Set a thermostat schedule, swap the furnace filter, reverse your ceiling fans and open the south-facing curtains on sunny mornings. Those steps take an afternoon and help right away.
Then look at the bigger picture. If your upstairs rooms run cold, your floors feel chilly near outside walls or your heating bill keeps creeping up year after year, the house itself is likely losing heat through the attic, the walls or both. That is where the largest, longest-lasting savings live.
Avista offers residential rebate programs that can apply to some insulation upgrades. Program details and amounts change, so confirm current eligibility with Avista or ask us during your visit.
Want to know which fixes will matter most in your home? Book an in-home estimate with USA Insulation of Spokane-CDA, and we will check your attic and walls and show you exactly what we find.
