When the temperatures drop and you need to start using your heater again, it’s likely that you’d like to spend as little as possible on your energy needs, right? Heating systems do take up a large portion of energy and fuel. In fact, an electric HVAC system can account for half of all your energy use in your home.
Fortunately, there are some pretty simple steps you can take to improve heating efficiency, and therefore spend less this fall and winter. Read on to learn what they are.
Schedule Heating Maintenance
If you haven’t done so already, the best thing you can do to boost your heater’s efficiency is schedule maintenance. Maintenance tune-ups allow our technicians to comprehensively clean and inspect your heating system. We’ll adjust components that need it, and we’ll also check for signs of basic wear and tear.
Checking for wear and tear before you need your system for the season means you have time to get repairs on your schedule before you need your heater to work.
Stay On Top of Your Repair Needs
Whether you were alerted to small heating repair needs during maintenance or you suspect that something is wrong with your heater, if you stay on top of your repair needs you’ll have a lot less likely chance of the system breaking down, plus heaters work more efficiently when they don’t have repair needs.
Adjust Your Thermostat
Homeowners often set their thermostat higher than it really needs to be to stay warm in their homes. In the wintertime, when temperatures are at their coldest, a temperature setting of about 62° is usually enough to keep people comfortable.
But when you set it to 70°F on a particularly cold day outside, your heater is just going to keep running and running, even though it will be unsuccessful at reaching the desired temperature setting on your thermostat.
Make Sure Your Home Is Well Insulated
Do you have insulation behind your drywall as well as in your attic or crawlspace? What kind of condition is that insulation in? If you’re not sure, it may be worth exploring your insulation options. Remember, too, that drafty doors and windows serve as poor insulation barriers.
When you have the right insulation in place, it will help not only your heater work better, but your air conditioner too. This is because proper insulation prevents heat transfer. It keeps heat indoors during the winter, and outdoors during the summer.
Take Advantage of Ambient Heat
Do you have a room that is particularly sunny when you open the curtains and blinds in that room? Then go ahead and open the curtains and blinds! Let that ambient heat in. This will keep your household warmer, and might let your heating system take a break as it won’t have to start running as early in the day on milder days.
These are just a few ways you can boost heating efficiency in your home. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team!
For professional maintenance and furnace repair in Sylvania, OH , contact AW Heating & Cooling today!