When cold weather rolls into town, homeowners are glad to have reliable heating from their furnace. Without that heat source, the house would become uncomfortable and unsafe in a very short time. But many people are not aware of the mistakes that they are making that cause their home’s furnace to work harder than necessary. And these mistakes result in higher heating bills and a shorter life expectancy for their furnace. Applying just a few simple tips can help you reduce your monthly heating cost and extend the life of your heating system by as much as several years.
Take Advantage Of Technology
In the past, homeowners had no option but to set their thermostat and live with the results. If you were trying to cut your energy bills, you worked diligently to remember to drop that temperature at night or when you left the house. But when you got home or in the early morning, you shivered and waited for the furnace to increase the temperature. Then there were the times you forgot to reset the thermostat and lost out on that energy and cost-saving opportunity.
Fortunately, homeowners can now rely on technology to help them save on their heating and cooling bills. Programmable thermostats offer multiple programs to control your budget and the temperature inside your home. But they do it without making you suffer through cold mornings. Just set the program to warm the house right before you wake up to eliminate those pesky cold mornings. Between the time you are asleep and away from home, you could be saving money over 75% of the time during a typical work week.
Protect What You Pay For
You would never leave a door or window open when the furnace is heating your home. The loss of heat is simply wasteful. But if you have missing weather-stripping, caulk, or gaps around doors and windows, that allows heat to escape. Invest a little time to ensure that your home is airtight to save you money and unnecessary wear and tear on your furnace. Walk around the inside of your home searching for drafty cool air to locate the offenders and seal up those leaks that are draining your wallet.
Strategic Locations For Furniture
Have you noticed that since you rearranged the family or living room, it feel cooler? It might not be your imagination. If you move large or bulky furniture to a place blocking a heat register, you could be losing out on much warm air. In addition, blocked vents create pressure issues that can hamper the heating of other parts of your home.
Be sure that furniture and curtains are not blocking the heating vents before turning up the thermostat and asking even more of your home’s furnace. This issue often occurs during the holiday season as homeowners try to make room for holiday decorations, added seating, and the influx of parcels and packages coming into their homes. And remember, if you do enjoy having a live-cut Christmas tree, it would prefer a display location far from your heat registers. The added warmth will cause the tree to dry out faster and can become a fire hazard as the crisp tree displays those bright colored lights.
If you are noticing that your furnace is constantly running, there could be other issues at play. In addition, your furnace might be ready for a professional tune-up to ensure that it is clean and functioning at its peak. Call (318) 202-9144 to schedule a furnace inspection and service with the HVAC experts at Gordon AC & Plumbing. Our rates are always affordable, and our work is backed by an industry-best comprehensive warranty.
