Money Saving Tip: Use Blinds to Save on Heating Costs, Part 2

Here's another simple but effective money saving tip for those of you who are trying to do everything you can this winter to hold down heating costs:

Allow sunlight to warm your home. Keep blinds and drapes open during the day and closed at night. Make certain south-facing windows are clean and screens removed. These steps can increase solar warmth by forty percent.

We live in Michigan, the land of perpetual winter, so we really use this tip a lot. On sunny days in the winter here (which aren't many unfortunately), we open up the blinds and the house gets really, really warm. In many cases, it stays very warm until late into the evening.

BTW, we close the blinds as soon as the sun goes down to lock in the heat.