Yes, I realize that after the recent cold front that just washed down from the arctic the last thing many of us are thinking is “How can I reduce my need for heating?” I mean, when it’s -23° outside and you’ve spent the whole day shivering at your desk while sitting next to your giant corner-office window, it is hard to resist the urge to crank up the thermostat when you get home. (Frankly, I would have probably done the same, but my downstairs neighbors have the only thermostat in my building, so I resorted to breaking apart my furniture for wood scraps and burning them in my paper recycling bucket in a big fire pile at the foot of my bed.)

However, if you were able to go through with it and did crank up your thermostat, it’ll be next month when the bill arrives that you’ll really be … feeling the heat. (e-groan)

Here are four tips from [1] Jon Clift and [2] Amanda Cuthbert, authors of [3] Energy: Use Less—Save More on how to reduce your heating needs…using only your curtains!

1. Open the curtains during the day if the sun is shining on our windows, and let the sun heat your room.
2. Draw curtains over windows at night; they provide insulation and help to keep the heat in the room.
3. Avoid covering radiators with curtains – they will funnel the heat out through the glass of the windows. Tuck them in behind, to enable the radiator heat to come into the room.
4. If your curtains are thin, line them with thicker fluffy materials, such as brushed cotton, to help keep the heat in.

If you like these tips and would like more just like them delivered to you throughout your work day, sign up for [4] Twitter and follow our [5] @GreenTweet feed. Happy heating!