Take Action to Heat Your Home More Efficiently
Wouldn’t it be nice to keep your energy bills down during the winter? There are easy actions you can take to help reduce your heating bill. Often, there may be things hindering your efforts to heat your home more efficiently. Consider these tips to save money this winter.
1. Seal up Cracks
When your windows aren’t airtight or there are gaps underneath your doors, cold winter air is entering your home and making your heater work harder to maintain the set temperature. By adding weatherstripping to the openings of doors or windows or caulking cracks, you can eliminate the cold drafts.
2. Clear Vents
The way that you arrange your furniture can have an effect on how efficiently you are heating your home. When large couches and beds are placed over a vent, the heat that comes out of the vent does not effectively circulate throughout the room. Making sure that all your vents are clear will help maximize the heat that your furnace puts out.
3. Change HVAC Filters
When your HVAC filter is dirty, the system will not run as efficiently. Consult the manual from the unit’s manufacturer to determine how often you should change the filter and what kind of filter it takes. Order several extra filters to have on hand and schedule on your calendar when it needs to be changed to heat your home more efficiently.
4. Use a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat is a great way to heat your home more efficiently because it lets you automatically drop the temperature by a couple degrees at times you will not be home or awake. If you set your thermostat back 10-15 degrees for the 8 hours you are at work, you can save 5%-15% on your heating bill, according to the Department of Energy.
5. Let the Sunshine In
By opening up the curtains or blinds of south-facing windows during the day, the heat from the sunlight can supplement the heat from your furnace. At night, remember to close the drapes for extra insulation on your windows. Investing in heavy thermal drapes will help you heat your home more efficiently at night.
Home Inspectors of Middle Tennessee provides home inspection services to Nashville and the surrounding areas. Contact us to book an appointment.