Keeping your home during the cold winter months can be tough, especially if you’re trying to keep a budget. Lighting a fire can be one of the best ways to help cut down on energy bills, but there are so many ways that even this basic way of heating can really throw off your budget. There are a few ways to make your fireplace work with you rather than against you though. With a little know how you’ll be able to show guests and family members how snug your home really is without having to run the heater all day and night. Instead of fearing your monthly bills, slow things down a bit by lighting a fire and enjoying the savings these ten tips will provide you.

1. Close the Doors
A lot of people want to heat up their home with a fireplace, but get confused as to why the heater turns on while the fire is roaring. Typically a fire will actually pull warm air into the room that the fire is burning. This means your heater will trigger on to heat up the rest of the house. In order to counteract this simply shut off the heater for a few hours. However, with all of the doors open your heated home isn’t going to feel as warm as it should. So, before you start up your log make sure you shut all of the doors in the home. This will allow the fire to pull in air from the room you’re in, so the rest of the house won’t feel like an icy wonderland. This might seem a bit farfetched to many, but it was actually proven on MythBusters that an open door home will be a whole lot colder than a home with cold doors. So, draw everyone into the room with a fireplace and have a few laughs in front of the warm fire.

2. Know Your Wood
Part of the joy of having a fireplace is to learn the ropes of making the perfect fire. One of the most important aspects of your fireplace knowledge is how much you actually know about your wood. Believe it or not, but the type of wood you use for a fire will really shape how you feel about lighting a fire in the home. The wrong kind of wood can cause your home to be overly smoky and might not even heat the home well enough. When you go to choose your wood you should find a piece that is dark or gray in color. This is only the first step though, you must also split the wood to make sure it is right for your fireplace. If the wood looks white in the center then you’re set for a warm and cozy fire that night. You should make sure to avoid woods that are still green or brown in color. Of course, finding the right wood isn’t the only step. You must also know how to properly store it. Wood should always be put in a dry area because wet wood will cause your fire to be disastrous.

3. Maintenance
One of the most important aspects of keeping a fireplace is keeping it maintained. This will not only save you money, but it will also ensure that your fireplace is safe to use so you won’t have to worry about any accidents that could cost you your home. You should have your fireplace looked at at least once a year. One of the best times to have this done is before it is actually cold enough to use the fireplace. Typically in early autumn many companies will start having deals on their services which can really help you save big on the inspection. Of course, a lot of gas companies will actually do this task for free too, so make sure you call and ask around before you pay anyone. Sometimes the inspection will result in nothing needed, but a lot of the time you’ll have to hire a cleaner to get rid of the build up from the previous year. You should always keep an eye on the fireplace when you use it though, as it will be obvious when you have too much build up.

4. Turn off the Gas
A lot of today’s fireplaces use gas to help build up the fire. If you’re looking to save some money you may want to avoid using the gas feature as it will bring up your bill significantly, which defeats the purpose of using the fireplace to save money. There are a lot of alternatives to help get your fire going so you may want to try out some other methods to see if they are actually cheaper. If you have absolutely have to use the gas feature then try turning it on to get the fire going and then turn the gas line off. Your fire may not burn as long as you would like it to this way, but you’ll end up saving on your gas bill while still providing a lot more warmth to the home. You can always start up another log the same way if you’re unhappy with the length of time you log burned, so don’t be discouraged the first time you use the fireplace without the gas.

5. Chimney Damper
If you don’t like going through the cold seasons without your fireplace roaring then you may want to consider getting a chimney damper. A lot of modern homes with fireplaces already have this feature, but many homes are still lacking a damper. This simple tool goes right over your chimney to allow filtration without forcing all of your warm air out into the cold air. Instead all of that warm fiery air will flow back down into the home to help keep you feeling a whole lot better about the temperature in your home. A chimney damper is pretty easy to install, so if you’re looking to save some money then you should be able to get a damper in with basic instructions. Of course, many places that sell fireplace accessories might offer a free install with purchase, so don’t be afraid to ask.

6. Use Glass Doors
Every fireplace is designed differently, but if yours is missing glass doors you may be losing out on some major heat. Glass doors are pretty cheap to buy if you’re looking for a basic look and are a cinch to install without any help. They great for preventing accidents with children and pets which is one major reason why you should make sure you have some doors on your fireplace. Of course, glass doors also help raise the temperature in your home. Glass is a great conductor of heat so all of the warmth off of your fire will bounce off the glass to help bring a whole lot of warmth to your room. Glass doors also make your fireplace look really great, which is an added bonus to your amazing fireplace.

7. Feed the Fire
One of the major problems with heating up your home using a fireplace is many people don’t know the type of flame that will provide the most heat. It is pretty common to believe that a roaring fire with big flames will give you a lot of heat for the home, but this is actually untrue. Where a roaring fire will give you some heat you won’t enjoy the same temperature as you would with a fire that is burned down a bit. As your log reaches the dark embers you are getting the maximum amount of heat from your fire. So, instead of feeding the fire when you notice it is starting to die down, you may want to wait awhile longer until your fire is a deep red. This will allow your home to reach the maximum temperature while still allowing you to build the fire back up. This will also help you save on supplies that you need to light a fire, as your wood supply will last longer and you won’t need to relight the fire over and over.

8. Fan Navigation
Controlling where your heat is going is a great way to get the most heat for your money when you’re using a fireplace. One of the best ways to ensure heat circulates throughout the home is to set up a series of fans that will help warm up the entire home. It doesn’t matter if you’re using ceiling fans to get the job done or if you have individual fans placed all over the home as the heat will easily make the rounds. Keeping a fan running is one of the least energy draining items you can use to help heat the home. In fact, it may take hours for your fans to financially catch up to the power a home heater or space heater will cost you in just a few moments of use. When you set up your fans make sure you turn the setting to go the opposite direction you would use during the summer. This will circulate the air without forcing it to cool down.

9. Turn out the Lights
When you light a fire you might want to go all out and save even more power. By turning out the lights and enjoying activities by the fire light you may find a new way to bond with our family that only cost you pennies. There are a lot of things you can do in front of a fire that don’t require any electricity at all. For starters, you can tell stories with your family or do a fun catch up session to learn about what has been happening in everyone’s lives. You might also want to share a book in front of the fire, or make a quiet hour where you all read your own book. A board game might even be your ticket for a repeat family night in front of the fire. If you can manage to shut down the lights for several hours a week then your fireplace will certainly save you more than you bargained for while also rewarding you with a simple family time your kids will remember for decades.

10. Free Wood
Buying ready to go logs can be one of the most expensive ways to keep a fireplace during the winter. Although a lot of logs you buy can be pretty convenient you may find that there are a lot of ways to actually find free logs for your winter fires. A lot of people like to trim down the trees before the winter ice sets in and cause breaks and damage to personal property. If you start with your tree trimmings then you’ll already have a pretty good stock for the winter. You may want to ask around whenever you see a neighbor trimming trees as they may be willing to give you their wood so they don’t have to haul it off themselves. You may also want to try websites like Craigslist to see if anyone is looking to get rid of some firewood. You don’t have to wait until winter rolls around to start stocking up though. Instead, make sure you grab wood throughout the year as it will help makes things a lot easier and faster when you need to light up your fire after a sudden cold snap.

Having a fireplace can be one of the greatest joys during the winter. It not only cuts down on some of your finances but it also gives you a sense of freedom and family bonding time that you won’t get during other periods of the year. So, instead of adjusting your thermostat for the cold try throwing a log in the fireplace and enjoy keeping some money in your ever growing savings account.