Consider Upgrading Your Furnace Or Boiler To Save Money
If you've got a heating system that is still in good working shape, but you feel is costing too much to run, you don't necessarily have to switch it for a new system in order to get more heat for your dollar. Many heating services can help you retrofit your still-working heating system to make it much more energy-efficient.
There are situations where you may want to opt for a replacement, instead. If the heating system is nearing the end of its life cycle, for example, and you're going to have to replace it in the next year or so, it would be better to just save money up to get a solid, energy-efficient model.
However, if your heating system is still relatively young, there are lots of things that can be done to improve the efficiency of your furnace or boiler. Here are a few, just to give you some ideas.
Damper
However your heating system works, it has to have some way to expel the toxic gases that result from the internal heating process. It may be a flue, it may be a vent, but in all likelihood, your heater has one or the other. Without a damper, this vent is always open, which means you're leaking valuable heat when you don't need to. A damper installed into the vent/flue will open only when the heater is operating, which means you lose less warm air.
Fix Your Ducts
If you have a heating system that relies on ducts, you should at the very least have them looked at to see if they need any work. Over time, ducts can crack and leak air, which means you're losing money. Having them fixed up will help make sure that your hot air goes where it should. Additionally, you can actually have your ducts insulated, which may be particularly nice if you have a lot of distance for your ductwork to cover.
Upgrade Ignition Source
If you have a newer furnace or boiler, this may already be a feature, but older units tend to have a pilot light that is constantly burning. It is, therefore, constantly consuming a small amount of fuel at all times. If you upgrade to a newer type of ignition source, one that only comes on when the heater is running, you will have fuel savings. As an additional bonus, you won't have to muck around with lighting the pilot light every time fall rolls around, as it will light itself.