September 22, 2021

Cut Back On Your Heating Bills

After a long summer season, you may be looking forward to the upcoming shorter winter days. However, one thing that you’re likely not looking forward to is the higher energy bills to heat your home. If you need assistance with reducing your wintertime heating bills, we’ve got some great solutions you can start implementing today.

Opt for a Programmable Thermostat

A programmable thermostat can be a big key to slashing your heating bills this winter season. This type of thermostat allows you to program different temperature settings for different times and days of the week. This means that you can set your thermostat 10 degrees lower during hours when you know that your family will be away from home. With a more optimized schedule for your thermostat, you can spend less money on energy bills.

Reverse Your Ceiling Fans

When you transition from the summertime heat to the wintertime cold, you need to change the direction of your ceiling fan. Most of these fans have a button on the base that will allow you to set your ceiling fan to force air in an upward direction.

This naturally takes the heat that rises to the top of the room, and it forces it towards the walls and down to the floor. This allows you to enjoy feeling warmer when sitting in a room with a ceiling fan without having to turn the thermostat up.

Use the Sunlight

When the daylight comes out, you should be opening your blinds and curtains. This will allow the sunlight to naturally flow into your home. The sunlight can drastically heat up your rooms very quickly, and the best part is that it’s free heat. You should always be taking advantage of the free heat that the sun allows to help slash your heating bills.

Beef Up Your Insulation

If your home is lacking insulation, beefing it up can do wonders for reducing your heating bills. Insulation is meant to be a barrier between the air inside of your home and the air outdoors. The thicker your insulation, meaning the higher the R-value, the more of a barrier there is going to be to keep the cold weather out.

Seal Your Ductwork

The ducting that runs throughout your home can be the biggest culprit of your heat loss. Due to the sensitive nature of the ducting material, it can easily develop dents and gaps when it’s moved around. Just the natural expansion and contraction process of the material can lead to unwanted gaps and holes.

Sealing up those gaps is a must to retain more heat inside of your home. You should utilize foil tape that is specifically designed for ducting to seal up any visible holes. Calling in a professional can help you to get hidden leaky ductwork sealed up successfully. The more sealed your ductwork is, the less heat you’re going to lose.

Get an Energy Audit

If you’re not quite sure where you’re losing heat in your home, it can be very beneficial to get an energy audit. This is a process where a technician uses a thermal imaging system to detect where heat is escaping your home. By identifying the key areas where you’re losing heat, you can come up with area-specific solutions to prevent future heat loss.

Change Your Air Filter Routinely

You likely know that you’re supposed to change the air filter for your heating system every few months. However, it can be easy to forget about doing it. When you do, the air filter will become clogged. This will cause your heating system to overwork to force air through the filter.

It’s best to check your air filter at the same time every month. If you can’t see through the filter, it’s time to replace it. By keeping your furnace filter fresh, you can ensure that your heating system is working optimally and that you’re not wasting energy.

Upgrade Your Furnace

While this may seem like a costly investment upfront, you need to consider the amount of energy savings that you can enjoy. If your existing furnace is over 10 years old, it’s time to consider upgrading. Newer heating systems offer more energy-efficient operation than older systems do.

Choice Heating Professional

Scott-Lee Heating Company is your choice heating professional for the St. Louis area. We’re also here for all of your cooling, air quality, and metalwork needs. Simply pick up the phone, and give us a call today to get started.