Top 6 Ways to Lower Your Heating Costs this Winter

Use the Sun

Take advantage of the suns warmth. Let the radiant energy from sunlight to augment your homes heating system by opening your drapes or blinds on sunny days. Conversely, close curtains after sundown or on cloudy days to retain heat. If you are building or renovating your house, discuss passive solar heating options with your builder you could significantly reduce heating costs as a result of such smart design.

Energy Efficient Appliances

In order to save hundreds of dollars a year on electricity or gas, be sure that any new appliances you purchase, especially air conditioners, gas furnaces and water heaters, are energy efficient. This can make a very big difference in your heating costs and new gas furnaces have efficiency ratings of 90% and up.

Insulate

Make sure your house is sufficiently insulated. If it is not, replace or increase the insulation, in particular, in the attic. The attic is the easiest place in the house to add insulation, but it is also the place where you will see the greatest energy saving.

Don’t Get Scammed by a Heating Contractor

It was suggested that we add this section… watch your wallet and don’t let a contractor take you for a ride and try to fix things that don’t need to be repaired, or worse… take your money and run! Suggest by the team at Heating Contractor Guides after reading this page.

Control Humidity

Control the humidity level in your house. For comfort in winter, your homes relative humidity levels should range from 30% to 60%. If they drop below this, the air becomes very dry and higher temperatures are required to feel warm. To boost the humidity, you can buy a humidifier, which puts water vapor back into the air. A room or console humidifier can handle individual rooms and small areas, but for your entire home you will need a whole house system that can be installed as part of your heating system.

Replace Your Filters

Keep your furnace tuned up and clean so it will provide maximum efficiency. Learn the proper way to inspect your gas furnace and always replace the filters every 3 months, particularly during peak usage times. When you replace your filters, consider cleaning your vents as well since the buildup of dirt will deter the flow of air and also add allergens to the air that could make you sick.

Water Heater

As wonderful as it is to take a scalding hot shower after battling cold weather all day, this is not the best idea. Try bringing the thermostat on your heater all the way down to one hundred twenty degrees, you’ll adjust before you recognize it.

For more great energy efficiency tips, please visit the Energy Efficiency section of our website.