Now that winter has taken hold in Northeast Ohio, you may be noticing cold drafts around the house or higher-than-exected heating bills. Maybe your furnace seems to be running non-stop. Luckily, you can make some simple improvements to prevent heat loss and increase your home’s efficiency.
Many homeowners choose to have a home energy audit conducted by an experienced technician. This process can tell you where warm air is escaping your home, as well as heat energy as a result of insufficient insulation. The technician can give advice on how to prevent heat loss. You can also conduct your own amateur energy audit, by inspecting the exterior of your home for holes and cracks, and the inside for air leaks as well. One tried-and-true method is to walk around the interior of your home’s outer envelope with a lighted stick of incense, looking for places where the smoke wavers. This shows you where air is either leaking or getting inside. A bit of do-it-yourself maintenance can go a long way toward lowering your heating bills.
When you find air leaks, take action to seal them right away. Use caulk to seal leaks around windows, door frames and electrical outlets, and caulk or spray foam to seal outdoor cracks. Weatherstripping can stop heat loss from around doors and movable component of windows. If you can make a bit more of an investment, upgrade or add to your insulation. Insulating the attic, crawlspace, basement and walls can substantially decrease heat loss in the home.
Make sure that your air ducts are sealed properly to avoid losing heat before it makes it to your rooms. If some rooms seem harder to heat than others, or your bills have inexplicably increased recently, duct leaks may be the culprit. If you use a fireplace or woodstove, check there for cracks or leaks, and make sure to perform regular maintenance on the chimney to keep it working efficiently.
Please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning for more information on reducing heat loss in your Lorain area home.
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 heat loss 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