9 Tips To Save On Home Heating This Winter

Hoping to save money on your electricity or gas bill this winter? Home heating gets expensive. While you try ahead of some of these costs by getting boiler quotes so you can budget for emergency expenses, there are other steps you can take to keep prices down. These tips can help you cut down your costs.

#1 Don’t Use Exhausts Excessively – Kitchen and bathroom exhausts are important but should only be used when necessary. Turn off the kitchen exhaust when you’re finished cooking and use an automatic timer to shut off bathroom exhausts, once they’ve sucked out the extra moisture. Exhausts take valuable hot air and push them out of your home.

#2 Use a Humidifier – Dry air can make your home feel even colder in the winter. Moisture is better at holding heat, so a humidifier can help things feel warmer inside.

#3 Use the Sun – Sunlight naturally emits heat. Open up the curtains on south-facing windows and let the sun warm up your home on cold winter days. You may think opening the curtains makes things colder thanks to drafts, but quality windows will keep your home sealed tight.

#4 Don’t Heat Unused Rooms – Close off vents in rooms you never use, such as guest rooms or storage. This will trap heat in the rooms where you do spend most of your time and can have a big difference on your budget. Leaving rooms unheated is a common practice in Europe and Asia where energy costs more.

#5 Furnace Maintenance – One of the biggest unexpected costs you’re going to run into as a homeowner isn’t your energy bill, it’s surprise furnace maintenance. You can save on emergency furnace repairs by getting regular furnace maintenance, which can be completed through companies like Diamond Blue Air instead. But to help ensure you keep it functioning as it should going forward, be sure to keep your furnace clean and unblocked, including ducts.

#6 Replace Your Furnace Filter – A dirty furnace filter prevents your furnace from running efficiently. It blocks air intake and should be replaced frequently, especially if you own pets who tend to make fur circulate through your home.

#7 Furnace Installation – When you hire furnace installation services for a new furnace or complete HVAC system, make sure it gets done right the first time. Improper furnace installation can become dangerous, such as when intakes are installed indoors and create negative pressure in the boiler room. A poorly installed furnace can contaminate the air in your house, and result in other appliances (like a water heater) recycling combusted air and quickly cause issues with carbon monoxide. High efficiency furnaces should have their intakes outside, along with the exhaust pipe. Trust a professional company when you’re installing your next furnace.

#8 Use Ceiling Fans – Ceiling fans can be used to help save money in all seasons. Airflow and ventilation are the key to more efficient home heating and cooling. Ceiling fans help you control how air is pushed through your home. Counter-clockwise ceiling fans push hot air up and out while clockwise ceiling fans trap heat inside and help improve heating in the winter.

#9 Cool Down at Night – An automated or smart thermostat that runs at a lower temperature at night or during the day when you’re not home can also save you money. The human body naturally needs to cool down at night to get a good sleep, too.

With these tips, you should be well on your way to saving money.

Kelly Tate