Save Money With High Efficiency Heating and Cooling

It’s that time of the year again when everyone looks forward to the Holiday season, especially the kids as they anticipate what gift they will be receiving for Christmas. Such a merry season indeed!

Along with the upcoming holidays is the arrival of winter. Everyone is gearing up, putting on layers of clothes, a thick fur coat, and some comfy boots. It’s cold and it will get colder in the coming days. Now is the best time to prepare for the cold months, and do so with high efficiency heating and cooling.

Heating and Cooling Money-Saving Tips

These simple and doable tips can be done by you at home or with a little help from a professional.

Start with the thermostat.

Did you know that you can save up to 3% on your heating bill each time you lower the temp to a degree in a day? That’s about 13% savings if the thermostat is set to 55 degrees F at night. Now, if you can set the same temperature (or something close to it) during the day, you’d be seeing bigger savings on your next bill. Put on warmer clothing, maybe add another layer of clothes to stay comfortable.

A programmable thermostat can best help you achieve this. Smart thermostats can be programmed to turn up the heater right before you wake up, turn down when no one is at home, then start warming up the house again when you’re back from work, and then finally, adjust to the temp when it’s time to sleep. Cutting 10-20% of your yearly bill with this smart device is such a cost-effective option.

Keep windows and doors closed.

One of the worst contributors to heat loss are the windows. There are certain gaps that are hard to detect and see with our eyes. These are usually the entryway for the outside cold air to penetrate your heated home, thus pushing your furnace to put on a little more work to maintain the set temp.

You want to avoid that tightly shutting them. In the morning, open the windows and curtains, let natural heat from the sun soak in and warm the spaces in your house. At night, place blankets over uncovered windows. Heavy duty clear plastic window treatment is also another affordable way to reduce heat loss. This is ideal for single-pane windows and the savings can reach up to 10%.

Another good tip is to close the vent and shut the door of rooms that aren’t in use. Why heat it when no one is using it, right? It’s also good to keep the door of the room you’re closed. Your body heat and the heat produced by the lights and gadgets within the room can help.

Don’t forget about the vents.

Vents are the exit points of heated air, therefore it must be free of dirt, dust, or blockage. Some vents get covered with dust and dirt that airflow is blocked, which forfeits its purpose and adds stress to the furnace. Make sure that it is cleaned, no furniture is hiding or blocking them, and it’s not covered by drapes or curtains. Stay safe and stay healthy.

And the heating ducts too!

First, make sure that there are no leaks. No matter how small it may be, it will still cost a lot of money if it isn’t sealed. If you find leaks, seal it with a metallic or duct tape. A liquid or aerosol-based sealant can also solve the problem.

Insulating the ducts is another way to save on energy use. When heated air passes through unheated spaces (attic, basement) it loses heat. That’s about 60% heat loss you don’t want in your heating system.

More winter efficient service tips await you on our blog.