How To Cut Down on Heating and Cooling Costs with Home Insulation Upgrades and DIY Projects

May 18, 2026

Jamie Unruh

In today’s economy, everyone is attempting to stay on budget…we just need to be able to afford to fill up our gas tank. Whether, using store brand products to save a few bucks, or cancelling television streaming subscriptions, there are many ways to cut back on spending. While these are smaller day to day examples of how to scale back, there are some more long-term things you can do when it comes to cost savings on heating and cooling your home that most homeowners can do themselves.

Insulating attic hatch doors, sealing gaps in exterior doors, investing in new energy efficient windows, are among a few things you can do to reduce your heating or cooling bills.

Read on for some simple at home tips and tricks that will help along the way no matter which weather you’re dealing with.

"...cost savings on heating and cooling your home that most homeowners can do themselves"

Attic Hatch Door

One of the first things that comes to mind when considering what to advise “Do-It-Yourself” homeowners, is to insulate the attic hatch door and hatch seal.

The attic hatch is usually the biggest failure point in any attic, so addressing that can help make the whole home more energy efficient.

Most attic accesses are located in the master bedroom, which can be the cause for why the room might feel colder than the rest of the house. Dealing with the hatch door can make that room much more comfortable.

Most hardware stores will have expanded polystyrene sheets and poly rolls to install for around $60.

Weather Stripping

Maintaining exterior doors is another great option to help keep the heat in and cold out.

The sill on the bottom of a door can be worn out over time.Replacing it will help reduce drafts and keep the heat from escaping outside, thus maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature.

Weather stripping around the edges of the exterior of a door will seal the gap to keep the cold air outside in the winter as well.

Windows and Doors

While not generally a task homeowners take on themselves, and not something Beyond Group does, it is a good recommendation to replace old windows with new ones.

It can have a dramatic effect on the efficiency of a home, even on an old home where the walls are poorly insulated. Having the windows and doors replaced can make a huge difference in the heating and cooling costs of a home.

As mentioned, Beyond doesn't install windows, but we can recommend companies that do. MAXgreen is a great window, door and siding company in Calgary. They aren’t the only good company in Calgary by any means, but we have a great relationship with them.

"It can have a dramatic effect on the efficiency of a home..."

Basements

Basements being underground are naturally a cooler place in the home. It can be a reprieve on a hot summer day, but an igloo on a deep freeze day. Wanting to insulate a basement may seem easy to a homeowner, but there are many ways it can be botched if you’re not a professional.

When it comes to insulating a wall above the ground, most homeowners can do it competently with some direction. However, attempting to insulate a basement can be much more complex.It’s more than just filling in a cavity and covering it with a plastic layer.Installing a vapor barrier is a very detailed job that if not done well, isn’t really going to help you in the long run.

Investing in spray foam or other efficient insulation materials is your best bet to make your basement more comfortable. At Beyond Group, we want to help everyone create smarter spaces, so we’re happy to talk through what would work best for you and your home environment.

Simple home hacks to help save money while keeping your house warm in the winter:

• Lower your thermostat at night. When under a cozy blanket, there’s really no reason to blast the heat. Add more blankets if needed.

• Turn down the thermostat when you’re away from home during the day or on vacation (not too low, you need to be careful not to let your pipes freeze otherwise you’ll have much bigger costs to look forward to).

• Keep curtains and blinds open to allow the sun to warm up your home, not to mention natural lighting can save electricity too!

• Check your furnace filter. If the filter is blocked, the furnace will work harder than it needs to. Clean or replace if needed.

• If you have a chimney, make sure it’s closed.

"we want to help everyone create smarter spaces"

Simple home hacks to help save money while cooling your house down in the summer:

• Using fans instead of air conditioning. Put a bowl of ice water in front of the fan to spread the cool air around.

• Keep curtains and blinds closed to reflect the sunlight away from your windows.

• Open windows during the cool morning hours to allow the cool air into the home but make sure to close them before it heats up.

• Invest in creating shade with trees or shrubs where radiant heat can pour through walls and windows.

• Vent dryer air outside.

While some of these home enhancements might require a bit of time and investment, the result is more comfortable indoor temperatures in any season, while lessening the load on your heating or cooling systems, ultimately saving you money on your energy bills.

If you’d like to look further into what other things you can do to cutdown on your heating and cooling costs, such as insulation upgrades. Give our team a call today!

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