The fastest way to cut a Utah winter gas bill is to turn the thermostat back at night and while you are out, then seal the air leaks into your attic, then bring attic insulation up to R-49 or more. Turning the thermostat back 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours can save 5 to 15 percent a year on heating, according to U.S. Department of Energy guidance published by NDSU Extension. Air sealing plus insulation saves an estimated 16 percent on heating and cooling in climate zone 5, which includes Utah County, according to ENERGY STAR. Plug-in space heaters usually make the bill worse: at Utah energy prices, heat from an electric space heater costs roughly three to nearly four times as much as heat from a gas furnace.
Utah Valley Foam is an independent insulation referral service for Utah County, not a contractor. This guide answers the questions homeowners ask most when a winter bill arrives, drawn from nearly 2,800 Reddit threads we reviewed in October 2026.
Why Your Winter Bill Jumped
Heating is the biggest single line in most household energy budgets. ENERGY STAR says that for the average American household almost half of the annual energy bill goes to heating and cooling, more than $900 a year.
In Utah, the price of gas has not been the main driver lately. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that Utah residential natural gas averaged $10.19 per thousand cubic feet in 2025, down from $13.45 in 2023. If your bill is higher than it was two winters ago, the more likely cause is how much gas the house is using: colder weather, a leakier house, or a thermostat that never gets turned down. It is the most common complaint locally too: in the Salt Lake City and Utah Reddit communities, threads about a sudden high gas bill drew more discussion than any other heating topic in our sample.
1. Turn the Thermostat Back
This costs nothing. Department of Energy guidance, as published by NDSU Extension, says you can save 5 to 15 percent a year on your heating bill by turning the thermostat back 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours, which works out to as much as 1 percent for each degree. Overnight and the hours the house is empty are the easy eight hours. A programmable or smart thermostat makes it automatic.
2. Seal the Air Leaks Into the Attic
Warm air rises and leaks into the attic through every hole in the top-floor ceiling. ENERGY STAR lists the biggest attic leaks as the spaces behind and under kneewalls, the attic hatch, wiring holes, plumbing holes, dropped soffits open to the attic, recessed lights, and the furnace flue or duct chase. ENERGY STAR recommends sealing these before adding insulation.
One safety point from the same ENERGY STAR guide: if the house has gas or oil appliances that vent naturally, have them tested for proper drafting before and after air sealing, because a tighter house can make them back-draft into the living space.
3. Add Attic Insulation to R-49 or R-60
For climate zone 5, ENERGY STAR recommends R-60 for an uninsulated attic and R-49 for an attic that already has 3 to 4 inches. Utah’s energy code also calls for R-49 in ceilings, explained on our Utah insulation code page. If you can see the tops of the ceiling joists in your attic, you are well short of either number.
Done together, air sealing and attic insulation are what the ENERGY STAR 16 percent climate zone 5 estimate is based on: sealing the house and adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces, and accessible basement rim joists.
Rebates That Pay Part of It
Most Utah County homes heat with gas, so the gas utility’s rebates are usually the ones that apply. Enbridge Gas, which took over Dominion Energy’s Utah gas utility in June 2024 according to KSL, runs the ThermWise weatherization rebates, which currently list:
- Attic insulation, tier 1: $0.32 per square foot, when at least R-19 is added and the attic ends between R-49 and R-60. On a 1,000 square foot attic that is $320.
- Air sealing, single family: $200 per job plus $0.10 per square foot of conditioned floor area, up to $850 total.
- Wall insulation: $0.30 per square foot, in increments of R-11 or higher.
- Floor insulation: $0.20 per square foot, in increments of R-19 or higher.
Most of these require an authorized contractor, so check the rules before work starts. Rocky Mountain Power’s wattsmart attic rebate pays $0.10 per square foot, but only where existing insulation is no more than R-19, the attic ends at R-49 or more, and electric heat or central cooling serves at least 80 percent of the home. The federal 25C tax credit for insulation is gone: the IRS confirms it does not apply to property placed in service after December 31, 2025. More detail on our Utah insulation rebates page.
Are Space Heaters Cheaper Than the Furnace?
Usually not, in Utah. Every electric space heater turns 100 percent of its electricity into heat, but electricity costs far more per unit of heat than natural gas. The table uses only published federal figures, and the arithmetic is shown so you can check it.
| Heat source | Cost per million Btu delivered | How it is calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Electric space heater | $38.57 | 13.16 cents per kWh x 293.1 kWh per million Btu |
| Gas furnace, 80 percent efficient | $12.29 | $9.84 per million Btu of gas / 0.80 |
| Gas furnace, 95 percent efficient | $10.35 | $9.84 per million Btu of gas / 0.95 |
Inputs: Utah residential electricity averaged 13.16 cents per kWh for January to July 2026; Utah residential gas averaged $10.19 per thousand cubic feet in 2025; and per the EIA’s conversion factors, one kWh is 3,412 Btu and one cubic foot of gas is 1,036 Btu, so $10.19 per thousand cubic feet is $9.84 per million Btu.
In plain terms, a 1,500 watt space heater running 8 hours uses 12 kWh, which costs about $1.58 a day or $47 a month at that rate. The same 40,944 Btu from a 95 percent gas furnace costs about $0.42. A space heater only comes out ahead if you turn the furnace down and heat a much smaller part of the house, roughly a quarter or less of what the furnace was heating.
Cheap Fixes for This Week
- Weatherstrip exterior doors and caulk gaps around window trim. ENERGY STAR lists both as simple fixes.
- Put plastic film over drafty windows you cannot replace yet. ENERGY STAR has a how-to.
- Set the thermostat back overnight, starting tonight.
- Find the cold spots. Cold floors usually point at the crawl space or basement rim joist; drafts at outlets and baseboards point at air leaks in the walls. If a whole wall feels cold, it may have no insulation at all; see how to insulate existing walls.
Heating Bill FAQ
Why is my gas bill so high in winter?
Heating is the largest energy use in most homes, and ENERGY STAR estimates heating and cooling are almost half of a typical household energy bill. Utah gas prices fell from 2023 to 2025 according to EIA data, so a higher bill usually means the house is burning more gas: colder weather, air leaks into the attic, thin insulation, or a thermostat that never turns down.
Is it cheaper to keep the heat at one temperature all day?
No. Department of Energy guidance published by NDSU Extension says turning the thermostat back 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours saves 5 to 15 percent a year on heating, or as much as 1 percent per degree. A house loses heat faster the warmer it is inside, so a cooler house for eight hours means less gas burned overall.
Are space heaters cheaper than running the furnace in Utah?
Usually not. Using EIA prices, heat from an electric space heater costs about $38.57 per million Btu in Utah, compared with about $10.35 from a 95 percent efficient gas furnace. One 1,500 watt heater running 8 hours a day costs about $47 a month. It only saves money if the furnace is turned down and you heat a much smaller space.
How much can insulation lower my heating bill?
ENERGY STAR estimates that air sealing and adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces and basement rim joists saves an average of 16 percent on heating and cooling in climate zone 5, which includes Utah County, or 12 percent on the total energy bill.
What insulation rebates are available in Utah in 2026?
For gas-heated homes, Enbridge Gas ThermWise pays $0.32 per square foot for attic insulation that ends between R-49 and R-60, up to $850 for air sealing, $0.30 per square foot for walls and $0.20 per square foot for floors, mostly through authorized contractors. Rocky Mountain Power pays $0.10 per square foot for attics in homes with electric heat or central cooling. The federal 25C credit ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
Should I air seal or insulate first?
Air seal first. ENERGY STAR recommends sealing attic leaks such as wiring holes, plumbing holes, recessed lights and the attic hatch before adding insulation, because insulation laid over open leaks lets warm air keep escaping. If you have naturally venting gas appliances, have them tested for drafting before and after sealing.
Get a Price on Attic Air Sealing and Insulation
If your attic is under R-49 or you can see the ceiling joists, request a quote or call (801) 691-7136. Requests are passed to one independent insulation provider serving Utah County when one is available. Ask the provider whether the job will qualify for ThermWise rebates before work starts.