Updated October 2026. Low-cost ways to keep a house warm, with heating oil prices from the EIA (week of October 26, 2026), savings figures from ENERGY STAR and heater safety rules from the U.S. Fire Administration, all read October 30, 2026.
The fastest way to keep your house warm is to stop the heat you already pay for from leaking out: seal drafts, close curtains at dusk, and set the thermostat on a schedule. ENERGY STAR says sealing and insulating can cut up to 10% off a yearly energy bill. As of October 2026, that matters, because heating oil averages $6.23 a gallon.
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Key takeaways
- Heating and cooling make up almost half of a typical household’s energy bill, more than $900 a year (ENERGY STAR).
- Air sealing and insulation can save up to 10% a year on energy bills (ENERGY STAR).
- U.S. residential heating oil averaged $6.233 a gallon on October 26, 2026, up $2.636 from a year earlier (EIA).
- Portable heaters cause only 3% of home heating fires but 41% of the deadly ones (U.S. Fire Administration, 2017 to 2019 data).
Cold rooms are rarely about a weak furnace. Most of the time, warm air is slipping out under a door, through an old window frame or up an open chimney flue. So start with the cheap fixes, then look at the heating system, then at the fuel. In that order, you spend the least for the most warmth.
What can you do tonight to make your house warmer?
None of these cost more than a few dollars. Most cost nothing.
- Close every curtain and blind as soon as the sun goes down. Open the ones on sunny windows in the morning.
- Roll a towel or a draft stopper against the bottom of exterior doors.
- Close the fireplace damper when there’s no fire. An open flue pulls warm air straight out of the room.
- Shut doors to rooms you don’t use, like a guest room or a laundry room.
- Move sofas and beds away from outside walls and in front of no radiator or vent.
- Flip your ceiling fan to run clockwise on low. It pushes warm air down from the ceiling.
- Throw a rug on bare tile or concrete floors. Your feet will notice by morning.
Then look at the thermostat. A lower setting doesn’t make the house colder in a way that matters if you’re asleep under a heavy blanket. A smart or programmable thermostat lets you lower it at night and when you’re out, and bring it back up before you wake. ENERGY STAR says heating and cooling account for almost half of a household’s yearly energy bill, so a few degrees on a schedule adds up over a winter.
Want more ideas for cutting the bill on electricity and gas? That list of saving tips covers appliances, lights and standby power too.
What should you fix this weekend?
Give it one Saturday and a hardware store run. Here’s where the cold usually gets in, and what each fix costs in time.
| Where heat escapes | Fix | Time | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaps around exterior doors | Foam or V-strip weather stripping, new door sweep | 1 hour per door | Easy |
| Window frames | Caulk the trim; rope caulk or shrink film on old single-pane glass | 20 minutes per window | Easy |
| Outlets and switches on outside walls | Foam gaskets behind the cover plates | 5 minutes each | Easy |
| Attic hatch or pull-down stairs | Weather strip the edge; add a rigid foam cover | 1 to 2 hours | Medium |
| Pipes and ducts in crawl spaces | Foam pipe sleeves; foil tape on duct joints | Half a day | Medium |
| Thin attic insulation | Add blown-in or batt insulation, or hire a pro | A day or more | Harder |
ENERGY STAR’s seal-and-insulate guide puts the payoff at up to 10% off yearly energy bills. It lists weather stripping on doors and caulking around windows as the simple fixes, and attic sealing and insulation as the bigger jobs.
Small leaks get worse if you ignore them. Water under a sink or behind a wall can rot framing and let cold air in. If you’ve got a drip, here’s how to fix a leaking sink in no time. And if your floors stay cold even with the heat on, the material matters: read the advantages and disadvantages of concrete flooring before you pick a new floor.
Look up, too. Warm air rises, so a tired roof and an under-insulated attic cost you every hour the heat is on. Our guide on investing in high-quality roofing explains what to check.
Is your heating system or fuel the problem?
If you’ve sealed the house and it’s still cold, the system may be the weak link. An old boiler that has run for 15 or 20 winters burns more fuel for less heat. Signs include rooms that never reach the set temperature, banging pipes, a yellow pilot flame on gas units and repair bills every season. Get a yearly service before the cold sets in, and ask the technician for a straight answer about efficiency and age.
Thinking of a new unit? Start with what you need to know about tankless boilers, then see how reliable heating systems enhance property value if you might sell in the next few years.
Fuel is the other half. Many homes in the Northeast still heat with oil. Suppliers such as Hop Energy deliver heating oil and service the burners that use it. Oil burns hot and a full tank gives you a buffer in a storm. The catch is price.
| Residential heating oil (EIA) | Week of Oct 26, 2026 | Change from a year ago |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. average | $6.233 per gallon | +$2.636 |
| East Coast | $6.234 per gallon | +$2.628 |
| New England | $6.165 per gallon | +$2.646 |
The EIA collects these prices weekly only from October through March, so check its page as the season goes on. With oil this expensive, every gallon you don’t lose through a drafty door is money kept. If you heat with oil, ask your supplier about budget plans and pre-buy contracts, and compare the terms before you sign.
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Buy a home →How do you use space heaters and fireplaces safely?
When the house is cold, it’s tempting to plug in a heater and forget it. Don’t. The U.S. Fire Administration says portable heaters were only 3% of home heating fires each year from 2017 to 2019, yet they were behind 41% of the fatal ones.
- Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from heaters, fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators and candles.
- Turn space heaters off when you leave the room or go to bed.
- Have chimneys and heating equipment cleaned and inspected by a professional every year.
- Put carbon monoxide alarms near sleeping areas and test them monthly if you burn oil, gas or wood.
- Plug heaters straight into the wall, never into a power strip or extension cord.
Before a hard freeze, let faucets on outside walls drip and open the cabinet doors under sinks. A burst pipe is a cold house and a repair bill at once.
Does a warm, efficient home matter when you sell?
Yes, in a practical way. Buyers who tour in January notice a cold room and a drafty door. Their inspector will note an old boiler, missing insulation and a damper that doesn’t close. Each one can turn into a repair request or a lower offer. Fixing the cheap items first is the easy win. For a fuller list of what inspectors flag, see these warning signs your home needs repairs.
Keep your fuel and service receipts, too. A buyer who sees a yearly furnace service and real heating costs for last winter has fewer unknowns to price in.
When you’re ready to list, a Beycome flat fee MLS listing puts your home on the major home search sites and the MLS from $99, with $0 due to Beycome at closing. You set the price, you pick the showing times, and every decision stays yours. Beycome has helped 22,000+ homeowners save over $225 million (Beycome internal data, October 2026).
Keeping your house warm: questions
What is the cheapest way to keep a house warm?
Stop drafts first. Weather stripping, a door sweep, caulk around windows and closed curtains at night cost little and keep the heat you already pay for inside.
How much can sealing drafts save on heating?
ENERGY STAR says air sealing and insulation can save up to 10% on yearly energy bills. Results depend on how leaky the house was to begin with.
How much does heating oil cost right now?
The EIA’s U.S. average for residential heating oil was $6.233 a gallon in the week of October 26, 2026, up $2.636 from a year earlier. Local prices vary.
Are space heaters safe to leave on overnight?
No. The U.S. Fire Administration says to turn them off when you leave the room or go to bed, and to keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away.
Does running a ceiling fan help in winter?
It can. Set the fan to turn clockwise on low so it pushes warm air from the ceiling back down into the room without creating a breeze.
When should I replace an old boiler?
Consider it when rooms never reach the set temperature, repairs come every season or the unit is 15 to 20 years old. Ask a licensed technician to check efficiency during a yearly service.
General home-comfort information. Fuel-burning equipment, gas lines, chimneys and electrical work should be serviced by licensed professionals, and local codes apply.
EIA heating oil prices for the week of October 26, 2026, ENERGY STAR savings figures and U.S. Fire Administration statistics as read October 30, 2026.
Prices as of November 2026: Basic $99, Enhanced $399, Concierge $1,399; Basic is $129 in California and Illinois. “$0 at closing” means no Beycome fee at closing; other closing costs, taxes and title fees still apply. Beycome lists in 17 states and DC.
22,000+ homeowners and over $225 million saved: Beycome internal data, October 2026.
Sources
- ENERGY STAR, Seal and Insulate, read October 30, 2026.
- ENERGY STAR, Smart Thermostats, read October 30, 2026.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Heating Oil and Propane Update, week of October 26, 2026, read October 30, 2026.
- U.S. Fire Administration, Heating fire safety, read October 30, 2026.
- Beycome, listing package features, October 2026.
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