Saving money on winter heating doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It also doesn’t have to take a lot of effort or expertise. Cut your heating bills this year by following these simple steps.
- Seal your windows with weatherstripping or caulking (depending on the part of the window) to stop warm air from leaking out around the frames. Seal the door or hatch to your attic with weatherstripping or plastic, and seal other leaks with caulking. Heat rises, and this will keep warm air in your living spaces. Place draft excluders at the bottoms of outside doors.
- Turn down the setting on your water heater. Most people leave them set too high, wasting money by heating water they then just have to mix with cold water later when they use it. Setting your water heater to 120 degrees will save you money and still leave your water warm enough for typical household uses.
- Turn your home’s thermostat down a few degrees. Every degree you lower your thermostat cuts your heating bill by about 3 percent. Consider purchasing a programmable thermostat so you can program energy-saving temperatures ahead of time.
- Make sure that your furnace’s air filters are clean. If they aren’t, replace them.
- Run your hands over your heating ducts, feeling for places leaking or conducting warm air into spaces that don’t need to be heated, such as the basement or crawlspace. Insulate your ducts in these areas. If you find a duct leak that needs to be fixed, use mastic sealant or metal tape to repair it. Do not use duct tape for duct repairs; it doesn’t retain its adhesiveness on warm ducts.
- Do not use exhaust fans in your kitchen unless absolutely necessary. They suck the warm air right out of your house.
- Schedule annual maintenance for you HVAC equipment. Early fall is an ideal time for your heating equipment, before your contractor gets busy.
For professional advice on cutting your heating bills and other heating and air conditioning topics, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning. We provide quality HVAC service to Lorain, Erie and Cuyahoga counties.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heating bills and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area