Cota Energy Saving Tips:

Keep the Kitchen Hot— Bake a lot of stuff. Breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, roasted chickens- all the things you avoid in the summer time because it makes the kitchen too hot.

Skirt The Foundation— You can help insulate your house by sealing off the exposed portion of your basement or foundation with plastic, or leaves, or bales of hay- even snow.

Wear A Sweater— Heck, wear a turtleneck and a sweater. Or a nice fleece pullover. It's cheaper for your body to do the heating than your furnace.

Coffee, Tea, Cocoa— Hot drinks will warm you up. The added hydration you get from drinks like tea or beef boullion also help your body "burn" calories more efficiently which helps keep you warm.

Snuggle— Pop some popcorn, get the whole family on the couch cuddled up under a big blanket, and watch old movies like It's A Wonderful Life.

Upgrade An Old Heating System— Replacing an old system with a new one is an investment that will pay for itself by cutting your fuel costs by as much as 40%. Check out Cota's Heating Systems.

Winter Sports Are For Everyone— Hike, skate, cross country or down hill ski, snowshoe, sled, toboggan, make a snowman, go bird watching, have a snowball fight- you'll warm up while you're saving by lowering your thermostat.

Clear The Way— Make sure that armchairs, couches, drapes, bookshelves, etc. are not blocking your baseboards, making it harder for warmth to get to the rest of the room.

Let the Sun Shine In— "Southern exposure" gives you some very basic passive solar. Consider thinning evergreens if they block the sun on the south side of your house.

Insulate, Insulate, Insulate— Today's homes are much better than homes built 30 or even 15 years ago. Still it's well worth taking an insulation inventory. You'll find lots of do-it-yourself books on insulation at your local hardware store, too.

Stormy weather? Storm Door— A weather tight storm door and a weatherized solid door make a great combination. The storm door stops wind, and the trapped air between the doors provides insulation.

Flue Clue— Once your fireplace fire or woodstove fire is totally out and cool to the touch, close the damper to stop your home heating dollars from flying up the chimney.

Clean Those Baseboards— Vacuum the heating pipes inside your baseboard units to help them transfer heat to the room air more efficiently.

Cool Clothes— Keep your closet doors closed. There's over 100 cubic feet in a closet you don't need to pay extra to keep warm.

Draw The Shades, Shut The Light— Close all of your curtains and shades at night to trap heat inside; open them during the day tolet heat from the sun in.

Keep The Windows Clean— Be sure to keep windows on the south side of your house regularly clean to maximize solar gain.

Invest In A High Efficiency Oil fired Water Heater — Ask us about an indirect water heater system, which can give you a nearly endless supply of hot water. (Oil heat is very cost-efficient at making hot water.) Check out Cota's Water Heaters.