Family shares simple trick to save on heating bills this winter: 'It's a game-changer'

For those concerned about staying warm enough during frigid winters, one TikTok user has a simple but incredibly effective hack that can help keep heat inside homes when cold weather hits hardest.

The scoop

TikToker Faith Linn (@the_travelinns) shared a video demonstrating a hack they tried to keep their home warmer in winter. 

@the_travelinns Today we put a little reflective insulation in our bedroom windows to see if that helps any. It's completely removable within seconds as we didn't tape it in. We've seen a lot of people do this and figured give it a try. You can also do this for the summer but I enjoy the view as much as I can. Have you done this before as well? #rvliving #fulltimerv #rv #ditl #winter ♬ Under Giant Trees - Agnes Obel

The short video shows a window with reflective insulation in it, and Linn wrote, "Today we put a little reflective insulation in our bedroom windows to see if that helps any. It's completely removable within seconds as we didn't tape it in."

They also added that the hack would help keep homes cool in the summer and questioned whether others had used it. 

Since all you need for this hack is a piece of reflective insulation cut to fit a window frame, it couldn't be simpler to attempt.

How it's helping

Everyone wants their house to be cozy and warm during the winter, but too often, windows and doors have small gaps that let drafts in and heat out. The result is homeowners bumping up their thermostats, but with the way energy costs are rising, doing so could land them with a hefty electric bill. 

This hack can help keep heat in and drafts out by both blocking those drafty spots and insulating a home from the cold. Since homeowners can purchase rolls of reflective insulation for as low as $25, doing so instead of turning up the heat could save them a significant amount of money in the long run. 

Additionally, heating a home can generate quite a bit of pollution that traps heat in the atmosphere, leading to rising temperatures and extreme weather events. Turning up the heat to stay warm can increase the amount of pollution a house creates (at least if a homeowner isn't using an energy-efficient device), while using reflective insulation will help reduce the amount of pollution a house emits, which leads to cleaner air and a cooler planet. 

What everyone's saying

Other TikTokers who tried this hack were eager to share their experiences. 

"It's a game-changer!!" one person exclaimed. 

Another TikTok user shared, "We have it in just about every window of our camper and it has helped so much with summer heat and the cold so far!"

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