As colder temperatures start to take over the season, thermostats tend to climb all over the country. While staying cozy and warm feels nice at the time, getting your utility bills through the winter might just send a chill down your spine all over again.

Thankfully, you don’t have to cringe every time a payment needs to be made. Instead, you can be proactive about how to save on energy costs this winter. There are plenty of tips and tricks you can use to conserve energy, and keep a little extra holiday money in your wallet at the same time. Let’s look at a few of these easy suggestions you can start putting into place right away.

Steal from the Sun

Winter is often associated with gray skies and gloomy days, but not every day is like that. There’s plenty of sunshine, even on cold winter days. So, take advantage of free heat from the sun whenever you can get it. Open the curtains on the south-facing side of your home on sunny days. This will allow the warm rays to shine in and add heat to your house. At night, be sure to close those curtains to keep the heat locked in as much as possible.

Turn on the Fans

You may not think ceiling fans would be helpful in the winter, but it’s all about how they rotate! Turn your fans to spin clockwise – that will help to trap heat in each room. When you put the fan on a low setting, that heat will get pushed back down and dispersed throughout the rooms. You won’t feel much of a breeze. Instead, you’ll actually be able to warm up a room by manipulating the airflow.

Heat the Right Rooms

Most of us flip on the furnace in the winter and let the heat disperse throughout the house. Unfortunately, that means it’s also going into rooms that don’t often get a lot of use. Don’t let that heat go to waste! If there are rooms in your house that don’t get used, close off the vents. This will help to increase the airflow into the rooms that do need it most.

A space heater is a great option for those rooms that don’t see a lot of use. You can turn it on whenever you’re in those rooms, and it’ll end up costing you a lot less than constantly pumping heat throughout your whole house.

Bundle Up

One of the easiest ways to save on energy costs is to make yourself warmer in other ways. You can turn your thermostat down a few degrees if you’re willing to wear warm clothes around the house. Dress warmly in sweaters and thick socks, and keep blankets easily accessible in most rooms. You won’t notice much of a difference in the temperature of the house, but you could be saving a lot of money with just a few degrees.

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As you can see, saving money on energy costs over the winter doesn’t have to be difficult. These tips can be put into place right away. The more you use them the happier you’ll likely be the next time your utility bill shows up.