| |
 |
Improving Your Heat and Lowering Your Bills!
|
 |
Many Tennessee homeowners ask, "What can I do to
reduce my heating bill?" Others have called us in
the middle of winter complaining, "my house is
drafty and cold - I just can't get it warm enough".
There are actually many things you can do to help
improve your comfort, and save money on your heating
bill this winter.
Make sure the damper on your fireplace is closed
when not in use. Also, check your furnace filter
often. You may find that you need to change your
furnace filter more often in the winter.
Try rearranging your furniture! Heating systems that
are "forced-air" send hot air through the house via
vents in the floor and draw back in air through
returns. Make sure all the vents and returns are
unobstructed so that air can flow smoothly. Common
items that block vents & returns are bookcases,
beds, bureaus, drapes, and sofas. Moving furniture
and household items away from vents & returns will
help your furnace breath!
Since our skin temperature is 74 degrees, and most
of us set our thermostats below 74 in the winter to
economize, the air in our homes can feel cold. If
you raise the humidity in your home, your skin won't
evaporate as much moisture, and you'll feel warmer
without changing the thermostat. By keeping the
humidity in our homes consistent we improve the
efficiency of our furnaces. Also, consider a
humidification system attachment for your furnace.
We added one to our furnace two years ago. The
investment was $400, but well worth the money. Now,
we don't have to worry about keeping water in a
humidifier on each level of our home, and everyone
has noticed how much warmer it feels in the winter.
Cold air sinks, and warm air rises (I think that's
from 4th grade science). In the winter, warm air
from the first floor tends to be sucked out the
attic, or second floor. As this happens, cold air
from the basement or crawlspace is actually pulled
up into the first floor, leaving us colder than we
like. This unequal distribution of heat also puts a
strain on our furnace. Improving your distribution
on the first floor and basement (if you have one)
will make your whole house warmer, and your furnace
won't have to work as hard. Limit the flow of hot
air upstairs, allowing more warm air into lower
parts of the house, counteracting the push of cold
air from the lowest level. Sounds complicated, but
in a nut shell, close some vents upstairs and make
sure vents downstairs are all open. This won't cost
you a penny!
Have
your furnace inspected every year. We've all
heard this before, and many people think it's just a
way for HVAC companies to generate additional
revenue. While this job does typically cost about
$125 (in the Midwest), it's a solid home investment.
Modern furnaces can be adjusted annually to improve
efficiency. Also, a furnace inspection can spot
light minor repairs that are less expensive than a
big breakdown in the middle of the winter (in my
case, this breakdown always happens in the middle of
the night on Christmas!). When you sell your home,
you can tell potential buyers that the furnace has
been properly maintained annually - a big selling
point!
Take advantage of an absolutely free source of
energy - the sun! On sunny days, open your blinds
and drapes to allow the sunlight to heat your home.
At night and on cloudy days, keep your curtains
drawn to retain heat from the furnace.
Every fee years, have your duct system check for
leaks. According to the U.S. Department o Energy,
the typical residential home heating system loses 25
to 40 percent of the energy put out by the furnace
through leaky ducts. Wow! There are several ways to
inspect your duct system - visually, with a blower
test, and even infrared camera scans can find hidden
heat leaks. You may have some seams that need
tightened or repairs. In some cases, a duct check
will find potential carbon monoxide leaks!
Another simply and affordable measure to take is
installing a new, programmable thermostat. The
simpler the thermostat, the less accurate. Older
thermostats are often inaccurate as well. There are
many affordable options in electronic thermostats on
the market, most in the range of $50-$100. You'll
find they come with easy to follow installation
instructions, or save yourself time and hire an
electrician (this job should take 1 hour or less).
These types of thermostats will not only help you
keep warmer by providing more accurate reading,
they'll also help you save money by lowering the
temperature automatically periodically (depending on
how it's set). Suggested settings are to lower the
temperature 5 to 10 degrees when you are at
work/school and at night. This could save you 10-30%
on heating bills annually.
Even in mid-winter, taking a few steps to conserve
resources and improve efficiency with your home
heating system can save you lots of money.
FAST FACTS:
-Did you know that the technology used to design a
typical new furnace is 3 times more complex than the
computer system used to run Apollo 11!
-Lowering your thermostat 1 degree in the winter can
save you 3% on your heating bill!
-The suggested winter thermometer setting is 68
degrees.
*Sources: Manfredini, Lou, Lou Manfredini's House
Smarts, New York: Ballantine Books, 2002 U.S.
Department of Energy, Reducing Home Heating and
Cooling Costs, Washington D.C.: Energy Information
Administration, 1994.
If you are looking for a heating contractor in Tennessee, then please call us today at
1-888-884-6299 or complete our
online service request form.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
