October 8, 2014 – It’s already October and you probably already have relatives doing Christmas shopping. That means cold weather is right around the corner. If it hasn’t hit your part of the country yet, it will soon.
There are a lot of things you can do to lower your heating bills. But here are a few fast and simple ways to do it according to the National Association of Realtors.
How to Cut Heating Costs
- Turn down your water heater to about 115-120 degrees. You won’t notice a difference, but you will when you see your next heating bill.
- Turn off vent fans in the shower, above your stove and other places after you have used them. Yes, they help cool your house in the summer. But they do the same thing in the winter time, removing lots of the heat that you want to keep in your home.
- Uncover any heating ducts/vents. Don’t block them with furniture, rugs or anything else. Close your curtains at night to keep out the cold. Open your curtains during the day to let in as much solar heat as possible (yes, the sun).
- Use this simple geothermal calculator to see how much you can save with a geothermal heat pump. Geothermal systems don’t have to work as hard to heat your home as most systems, so it costs you a lot less money on your heating bill. And if you live up north, you could save even more on your bills.
- If you have a fireplace, ensure that the damper is closed. If you want to save even more on your heating bill, only use your fireplace for holidays and special events. Fireplaces essentially are jumbo sized heat vents on your home.
- If there are places in your house that you can feel a draft, hold a lit candle in the air and look where that draft is coming from. You can buy rubber door sweeps to cover drafts coming in from under doors.
After you’ve finished with the super easy things you might want to do some more. If you’ve got a little handy man in you, there are many of things you can do to help your home be more comfortable and energy-efficient.
For one, insulate around doors, windows, electrical outlets and dryer vents.
Also, go upstairs in your attic to look for stained places in the insulation. Dark spots mean that dust coming up from the house and the heat is escaping in those spots.
Do you have an older water heater in an unheated space? If so, put a water heater blanket on it. You can get them at your local hardware store.
Speaking of water heaters, did you know that hot water is a significant portion of your home’s energy usage?
Because of the way geothermal systems work, they can provide you with year-round, full-time hot water heating along with heating and cooling your home. That adds energy savings of over 80%.
Hopefully these tips help you save lots of money this winter. Stay warm!
If you need help with indoor comfort or air quality, contact Cold Craft, Inc.
408.374.7292 or INFO@COLDCRAFT.COM