In honor of the impending winter here in the U.S., I wanted to cover a topic that may be of interest to you and send your head spinning. What if I told you that there was a way to save money in the winter by simply adding a few home improvements? Well, in these few easy ways that I want to expand on in a moment, you can greatly reduce the cost of your utility bill with these ingenious home improvements that will be energy efficient and allow you to pay less for heating! That being said, there a number of measures that you can take to accomplish these goals. From implementing do it yourself renovations to more pricey ones where you have to actually hire a contractor, all are beneficial as they attempt to keep warm air in and cold air out. Essentially, one should concentrate on improving insulation, windows, and doors. 

Here is a list of 9 things you can do to greatly improve the energy efficiency of your home

1. Caulk around the windows and doors to seal up cracks and holes. In addition to keeping out the cold, it doesn't let unwanted bugs into the house. If possible, seal around the heating ducts in the basement and attic. 

2. Put down rugs on tile and wood floors, which not only keeps your feet warm, but it also creates a layer of DIY insulation. 

3. Cover holes around electrical outlets.

4. By installing glass doors to close off the fireplace, you are keeping warm air from leaving your house and preventing cold air from getting in. 

5. Add insulation to your attic, crawl space, garage, and basement. Adding a layer of insulation always can help if your home is over 20 years old. 

6. If you reverse ceiling fans and run them clockwise, you will circulate the warm air back into the room. Running the fans counter-clockwise makes it cooler during the summer months. 

7. Change your furnace filters, because the dirtier they are the less efficiently they are going to run. 

8. Buy insulated garage and exterior doors, since the garage doors that come with most homes aren't insulated. Also, an alternative to replacing exterior doors is to add a storm door. 

9. Replace or repair thresholds and door sweeps. Since this is where the door seals shut, it keeps cold air from entering and bringing down the temperature of your home.