Meteorologists are announcing plummeting temperatures for early November. And yet, many of us have already turned on our boilers a few weeks ago. So, what can we do to reduce our heating bills when we have the heating on more than 6 months out of the year?

Program your heating

Whether you live in old or new housing, homes can generally be equipped with boiler controllers. This system is an ideal way to save energy, because you can decide to turn on the heat before getting up in the morning and returning home from work, while stopping it after breakfast and the evening movie. In this way, it stays off in your absence and during the night.

However, note that your heating time will vary depending on your equipment. Thus, while wall heaters will quickly heat a room, floor heaters will first have to heat floor tiles before they can heat a living space. This means that you will have to turn on the heat for a longer time to warm up a room with this system.

Optimize your heating

During the summer, it is common for us not to notice our radiators, which we sometimes end up cluttering with clothes or linens of all kinds. For winter, and when you turn on your boiler, think about going around your living space to identify all of its heat sources.

In addition, if you just recently moved in, watch out not to put any furniture in front of your radiators. Otherwise, you will consume a lot of energy without much heat being spread throughout the room.

Finally, for even more optimization, why not install an insulating film on the wall behind your heater to make sure that the heat is bounced back into the room, rather than absorbed into the wall?

Fix drafts

Besides being unpleasant, drafts consume a lot of heat. Go hunting for drafts (doors, windows, etc.) and fix them with an adhesive insulating gasket, if they come from cracks. For larger jobs, get a quote from a professional.

Also think about using door socks to limit air currents coming from below.

Close the shutters

It might sound silly, but closing the shutters at night and during your absence creates a further barrier for the cold to enter your home, as well as for the heat inside to escape it. This is especially effective if your home is equipped with single-pane windows.

Conversely, for windows facing south, leave the shutters open while the sun is shining. You will benefit from its heat coming through the glass.

Insulate your home

Of course, the more insulation your home has, the less heating you will consume. To lower your heating bill for the years to come, it may be necessary to invest now and place as much insulation as possible: in the walls, on the roof, the garage, the cellar, etc. Although this certainly costs money, you will definitely see a different in your long-term heating bills.

Replace your equipment

Finally, you can also invest in a new heating system. A modern gas boiler consumes less energy than one installed 15 years ago, and is also more effective in terms of heat distribution.

You can also completely replace your equipment with modern, hybrid, and/or renewable energy boilers.


In any case and, ideally, you should perform all of these steps before frost arrives. Heating engineers are usually busy in the early winter. Thus, the earlier you anticipate your heating needs, the better for you… and your heating bill!

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