4 surprising ways to lower your heating bill

After independently researching and testing models, I've used Amazon referral links in my final report below, which give me a small tip at no cost to you. Some of the recommendations are not on Amazon, so don't have referral links — I never prioritize referrals over good recommendations.

Do you like saving money? Do you wish you could burn fewer fossil fuels? Want to do both while staying warm and cozy?

live look at heat escaping my apartment

If you own your home, you should upgrade your central heating and cooling to a highly efficient 2-in-1 electric heat pump. There's now massive federal incentives—up to $8,000 off—for qualified buyers. Modern heat pumps will save you tons of energy (and thus cash), while also doing the job of both a furnace and A/C unit.

For everyone else, the key to using less energy is to only heat the people and spaces needed, instead of your whole home. Sounds obvious, but there are some unconventional ways to do this you might not know about.

Here's four recommendations, in order of cost investment:

1. Heat yourself, not the space

Do you like heated seats in a car? You can actually experience that same butt warming sensation at home by using a heating pad or heated blanket.

Comfytemp heating pad

It's a great way to make your whole body feel warm, without needing to crank the thermostat.

Heating pads are insanely efficient

The best part? A heating pad only uses 1/15th the electricity vs. a 1500w space heater (or just 100w, for those of you lacking math skills). That's the same as 1-2 incandescent lightbulbs, or 10 LED bulbs.

Does this sound impossible? Well, a heating pad only needs to get warm enough to heat what it's touching. That requires a small fraction of the energy needed to heat all the air and objects in a space, like a space heater or furnace does.

Related: many electric vehicles come with heated seats and a heated steering wheel, because it's much more efficient than heating all the air in the vehicle cabin.

The best heating pad

The best deal on a heating pad I've found is this Comfytemp one. It's a great size, neutral color, and the lowest heat setting is comfortable to sit on all day (I've found others can get too hot). It also has the ability to stay on 24/7 if you wish, which is great if you'd like to leave it on for your pets.

both cats and humans like being warm

At $15-20 each, you can buy one for every sitting location in the house. Sit on it all day, and you'll be able to set your overall home thermostat a bit lower—easily recouping your upfront investment.

Also useful for partners or girlfriends who run cold.

Seriously, just get one (or twelve).

2. Heat the room, not your home, with a cheap space heater

Next up, and perhaps most obvious, is to heat specific areas vs. your entire home using space heaters.

All electric space heaters have the same efficiency

It's surprising, but there's actually no difference between space heaters with equivalent power ratings. All space heaters convert electricity into heat at ~100% efficiency, so a 1500 watt space heater from Brand A will produce the exact same amount of heat as one from Brand B.

This holds true for resistance space heaters (the most common ones, typically with a built-in fan), oil-filled electric radiators, wall-mounted ones, thermal discs, etc. They will all produce the same amount of heat if they're the same wattage.

Space heaters do differentiate on

• Fan speed and power
• Extra features (like thermostat settings, wifi, etc)
• Aesthetics

Having a more powerful fan, like those found on Vornado space heaters, allows the heat to better circulate to every corner of a room. This is useful if there's multiple people in a room and they're not all near the heater. 

But, keep in mind, it's still the same amount of heat as a cheaper, less powerful fan option: it's just spread out more. This could actually be a downside if you'd like to heat the area immediately around the heater (like if you're sitting on the couch or at a desk).

The best affordable + good-looking space heater

The best-looking space heater I've tried is the Honeywell HCE200W UberHeat:

• It looks cute and modern.
• It's a reputable brand.
• It's a former Wirecutter top pick.
• It produces 1500w of heat, about the max for something plugged into a regular outlet.
• The controls are simple and intuitive: two heat settings (I = 750w, II = 1500w) and an analog dial thermostat.
• It only costs $36 (refurbished) or $42 (new).

The downsides? The fan isn't super powerful, and the thermostat doesn't have temperature markings. But you'll quickly learn to estimate the dial, e.g. 10 o'clock on the dial is roughly 60ºF.

Alternative pick for more fan power

If you want a more powerful and quieter fan, I'd recommend this Vornado Vortex heater (typically $49 used or $70 new). It's a Wirecutter top pick. Just keep in mind it'll produce the same amount of heat as the Honeywell.

3. Seal windows using inserts

Windows lose a lot more heat than walls—especially if they're single-pane. Want proof? Here's a shot of a door with a single-pane window using my Flir thermal camera for iPhone:

That big purple spot in the middle makes me cold just looking at it.

If you grew up in a cold place, you've probably seen people put plastic over doors and windows. Plastic window kits work, and they're cheap ($10-20). But setting it up can be annoying, the provided tape usually sucks, and it doesn't look great.

Thankfully, some newer products like Indow and EnergySavr window inserts offer custom reusable inserts that look like an extra pane of glass and install in seconds. You just push them into the window frame.

they're hard to see!

a sealed window

The best window inserts for energy savings on a budget

EnergySavr is the cheapest option I've found. It's lighter weight and has similar energy savings as Indow, but doesn't block as much noise and requires more precise measurement. Each insert costs $50-150 including shipping.

Upgrade pick, if you want energy savings + sound reduction

Indow is the premium option, with sound-blocking properties and an innovative silicone seal that doesn't require hyper-specific measurement. But each insert can cost $200-300.

You can expect to save at least 20% on your energy bill if you use one of these options on all your windows. I ended up ordering three inserts, one for an old single-pane window and two for drafty bathroom skylights.

What if I already have double-paned windows?

The relative efficiency gain will be slightly lower, but still significant enough for the inserts to pay for themselves over time. Even double-paned windows suck at insulating.

4. Get a portable heat pump

Remember how I said all heaters produce the same amount of heat per a given amount of power? Well, I conveniently left out the magical heat pump.

Heat pumps are taking the world by storm right now, because they do the seemingly impossible: produce 3x more heat per watt of electricity than any other type of heater. Seriously: a modern gas furnace is 95% efficient in converting energy to heat. An electric resistance space heater is 100% efficient. A heat pump? 300% efficient.

There's a reason heat pump rebates are one of the key policies in the recent Inflation Reduction Act: they're one of the few "silver bullet" technologies we have readily available today.

How do they work?

The core technology actually isn't new: it's how your refrigerator or A/C works today. Your fridge or A/C doesn't "create cold"—it extracts heat out of the inside air using refrigerants, and then blows it out.

A heat pump set to heat mode is like turning a window A/C unit around: instead of extracting heat from your house, it extracts heat from the outdoor air and blows it inside, while blowing now-colder air back outside.

Why not a central system?

If you're a homeowner, this is something to consider—especially if you qualify for rebates. But central heat pump systems are out of reach for most renters. Others may just want the simplicity of something portable and available to use in a couple days, without needing professional installation.

They do A/C too

Oh, and by the way: all portable heat pumps with a heater function also can do A/C (note: not all A/C portable heat pumps can do heat. Look for "with heat" in the product title.) So you're getting a 2 for 1 deal. 🙌

If you want to learn more, this is a great (but long) introduction to portable heat pumps:

So, which one should you get?

Avoid one-hose models

I have tried both a one-hose Black & Decker model and now a new 2-in-1 hose Cooper & Hunter model. I cannot recommend strongly enough: get a 2 hose, or 2-in-1 hose model, especially one with an inverter.

One-hose models act like a fan placed in your window blowing out, creating negative pressure in the room and causing ambient air to get sucked in to replace the outgoing air. It significantly lowers efficiency. As an example, in a bedroom with the door closed, I ran the one-hose Black & Decker on heat mode for 3 hours and only managed to lift the temp from 52 to 56—well below the performance of my basic $30 1500w space heater.

The best portable heat pump for heating

The new Cooper & Hunter AC+heat model, CH-STLS-14AC, has a 2 in 1 hose, variable inverter, and 8.9 CEER efficiency rating (vs. 5.9 for other dual hose models). It was $607 on Amazon using a coupon, or available for $600 direct from the manufacturer.

This C&H model has been amazing—it heats our living room, dining room, bathroom, and kitchen. It's much quieter than the Black & Decker, and cycles on and off less (thanks to the variable inverter). 

The wifi is also great to have. I schedule it to turn on before we wake up or get home. Plus, it's compatible with Google Home and Alexa, so it's easy to turn on or off without being near it.

Finally, the window kit + two types of insulating foam are much higher quality than the Black & Decker. I was able to form a nice seal in my sliding window. They even included insulation for the window hose.

Combined with small space heaters in our bedrooms, I've been able to completely avoid turning on our old inefficient gas furnace entirely this winter in SF—more than paying for the cost of the heat pump.

If the C&H model shows as out of stock or unable to deliver to your area, or if you just want to price compare, this Whynter ARC-1230WN model is identical (both are manufactured by Midea).

Alternative budget pick

I also considered dual-hose models from the brand NewAir, which were quite affordable ($400 shipped after using a 25% off discount code I found online) and looked nice. Ultimately decided to spring for the inverter (for the increase in efficiency and reduction in noise) and a 2-in-1 hose (for the aesthetics).

Downsides to portable heat pumps as heaters

There are four main downsides of portable heat pumps to be aware of: 

• Portable heat pumps are heavy (50-60lbs). They all come with wheels, but note it'll probably require two people to carry up stairs, unless you hit the gym frequently.
• When used in heat mode, you need a place to drain the condensate that forms.
• Unlike modern central heat pump systems, they typically don't heat if it's below freezing outside.
• They take up window space and the hoses aren't very chic.

#1 is not an issue once they're in your home.

#2 can be solved by placing it on a small 6-8" stand (or pile of books in my case) and putting the included small drain hose into a bucket, which you need to drain once every day or two. Or, you could buy a cheap hose extender and have it drip out your window.

mah bucket

#3 can be solved by moving somewhere with warmer winters (jk). But sorry midwesterners and New Englanders, this might not work during your coldest days. It's worked for me into the high 30s. (I don't know why the product description says it only makes heat if ambient temp is 61+.)

#4 is a thing but you get used to it.

it looks... fine. windows that go up & down instead of sliding will look better.

Any questions on any of these? Drop a comment below.