If you’re looking to save money this winter, you may want to take a look at your energy bill. These days, homeowners do their best to be more energy-efficient, but most don’t realize that heat makes up nearly half of their energy bill. Taking steps to save on your heating bill this winter doesn’t have to be a massive chore, though.
Implementing these simple tips can significantly reduce your heating bill, whether your home has a furnace, boiler, or central heating system.
Inspect Your Home for Drafts
According to the experts from Clean Air Doctors, air leaks and drafts are some of the most common reasons for high energy bills. When warm air can escape, it forces your heating system to work harder to maintain your desired home temperature. Ultimately, this results in higher energy bills each month.
By inspecting your home for drafts and sealing them, you can save more than 20 percent on your heating bills. Drafts often occur around windows, lighting fixtures, electrical outlets, plumbing fixtures, doors, walls, ceilings, attic, and the ducts for your heating and cooling systems. Taking these steps to improve your home insulation can notably decrease your monthly energy bills.
Check Your Windows
At the start of each winter, it’s important to check all of your home windows for drafts. After opening and closing them throughout the warmer months, there’s a good chance some windows are open, letting cool air into your home. To ensure they’re all shut, lock them in place and check that the window creates a tight seal.
Close the Doors to Unused Rooms
If your home has any guest rooms or spaces which are rarely used, keep the doors shut. These areas do not need to be heated. You may even want to consider closing the vents in these rooms, saving hot air for the rest of your home.
Take it a step further by inserting a draft stopper or towel under the door.
Optimize Oven Heat After Cooking
Do you enjoy cooking or baking around the holidays? When these opportunities arise, open your oven door, and allow the heat to escape. Ultimately, this will increase your home temperature and save you money on your heating.
Turn On Your Ceiling Fans
Few people know that using a ceiling fan can help distribute warm air around a room during the winter. Most ceiling fans have a switch that reverses the blades so that they turn clockwise. Doing so will push any warm air trapped near the ceiling towards the walls and circulate it around the room, ultimately saving money on your heating bill.
Move Furniture Away From Vents
Placing your bed or couch against your heating vents creates pockets of trapped warm air and prevents it from circulating around the room. Moving your furniture a few feet away from your vents will help to improve airflow, keep your home warmer, and ensure your heating system isn’t being overworked.
Turn Down Your Thermostat
While it may seem like the most obvious solution when considering how to save on heating bills this winter, most people skip this step. If you like to keep your thermostat on the higher side, you may want to think of other ways to stay warm during the winter months.
Try lowering your thermostat a few degrees and bundling up while hanging out at home. Wear thicker socks, invest in a robe, and use a blanket while lounging on the couch.
You can also turn down your thermostat when you leave the house. Set it to a timer to automatically lower the heat while you’re at work, at regular appointments, or running errands. Also, make sure to adjust when you’re traveling or out of town.
Open Your Blinds
It may be winter, but that doesn’t mean the sun can’t warm up your home. Open your curtains and blinds on sunny days and let the sun’s rays get to work. Make sure to close the curtains and blinds at sunset, as they offer an extra layer of insulation to your windows that help keep the heat indoors.
Regularly Maintain Your Heating System
Maintaining your heating and cooling systems is an essential part of homeownership. Part of maintaining most heating systems is regularly changing the filter. Clogged filters not only add more allergens to the air, but they force your system to work harder to maintain temperatures, leaving you with costly energy bills.
Another part of maintaining your heating system is having an HVAC professional tend to it each year. During your maintenance appointment, a technician will clean out your air ducts and ensure that your heating system and its components are functioning properly. When all of the parts are in order, the system is more energy-efficient, ultimately saving you money.
Want to reduce your heating bill even further? Learn about the benefits of oil to natural gas conversion. In addition to saving you even more money, natural gas systems require less maintenance, emit better air quality, and are environmentally friendly.
Schedule Your Annual HVAC Maintenance Appointment
SM Mechanical Services is a professional heating company in Glastonbury, CT. Our highly trained team of HVAC technicians understands the importance of improving efficiency and avoiding breakdowns, keeping in mind that many of our customers are looking to save money. Whether your home has a gas, oil, or electric system, our experts have you covered.
As a top HVAC provider in the community, SM Mechanical Services strives to put our customers first. We use only the best products and stand behind the quality of our work. Our emergency services and fast installations ensure our customers are never without heat for long and have someone to assist them during unexpected breakdowns.
If your heating system is due for maintenance or isn’t running efficiently, don’t wait! Call us today at (860) 530-2792 to schedule an appointment with one of our skilled HVAC technicians. It may only take a new filter and a duct cleaning to help you save on your heating bill this winter.