You may notice your energy bill getting higher when the temperature starts to lower. This drastic change can be considered problematic, but heat is necessary to be comfortable in your home in the cold months of winter. There are simple tips you can implement to make your home’s gas or electric heat usage more efficient and bill lower. Today, Fritts Heating & Air will share many HVAC service tips to save money on utilities.
Helpful Tips To Lower Your Heating Bill
Let In Sunlight
One tip that may be overlooked in lowering your heating bill is simply letting the sunshine in more often. When the sun is shining in, it provides an amazing source of heat at no cost to you. Try to remember this winter to raise the blinds and pull back the curtains. The most effective windows to allow the sun to come in throughout the day will be on the south-facing side. While we encourage you to open curtains throughout the day, be sure to close them at night to reduce the coldness from the windows.
Reduce Air Leakage
Another HVAC service tip regarding windows is to use a heavy-duty plastic sheet to tape to the inside of the window frames during the cool months we find ourselves in. This will help reduce infiltration (air leakage through unsealed joints around your windows). This will help block unwanted cold air coming into your home.
Close Vents To Non-Used Rooms
Your heating bill may be high because of rooms you aren’t using in your home. Maybe you have a guest room that hasn’t been used in months, or a room just for storage. You can simply close the vents in that room and be sure to keep the doors closed. This will prevent the waste of valuable heat in your home. It also will stop you from wasting money on heat no one is benefiting from.
Fans Can Help Circulate Warm Air
Another tip is something you may not realize could help your family stay warm in the winter. This is to keep the air circulating. Keeping your ceiling fan on in the winter can actually help you stay warm. While typically they rotate counterclockwise, there is typically a reverse switch to start spinning clockwise. This produces an updraft that will move warm air into the rest of the room. In fact, experts report that homeowners can save as much as 15 percent on heating costs when they run ceiling fans during the winter.
Is Your System Overworking Itself?
Next, let’s discuss why your HVAC service might be overworking itself leading to a higher heating bill this winter. If your furnace filter is too dirty, it will begin to restrict airflow. This will force your HVAC system to work overtime in producing heat and it will be more difficult to maintain the temperature in your home. It is pretty common for dust and dirt to build up on your home’s surface. As your HVAC system runs, the air will cycle through your rooms and pick up those dust particles, leading to a dusty airflow. As there are a few signs your furnace needs cleaning, one is that your home is not the ideal temperature you want it to be. Another sign is a strange smell coming from the furnace. When you notice any of the signs, please be sure to quickly call for a furnace repair. We will inspect the issue and be able to establish a plan to properly heat your home this winter. If you would like to learn more about the problems that could occur from a dirty furnace filter, you can read more here.
Is Your System The Right Size?
Maybe it’s the case that your HVAC system is undersized for your home. This will not have an efficient enough output. This is when our HVAC service, Fritts Heating & Air will provide help. You might notice this issue if there is a significant temperature variation on different floors of your home.
Repairs & Maintenance
Furnace repair might be your solution to decreasing your energy bill this winter. Every furnace has a mechanism in order to start its heating cycle. This depends on what kind of furnace is in your home. For example, older furnaces typically have a pilot light whereas newer furnaces use electrical ignitions. Unfortunately, these may eventually fail and need replacement at some point when you need heat the most. Your furnace might not turn on, leading to your home not receiving any heat or not having adequate heat.
If you’re experiencing issues with your furnace and need furnace repair, look no further. We would love to help you get the heat back into your home for the winter. If you desperately need heat but are not sure if you need a large heating system, your best option might be a space heater. The benefits of electrical space heaters are that they are extremely efficient at heating small areas. Another great factor with space heaters is how there is no heat lost through ducts. Therefore, they are directly heating a small area extremely efficiently.
Call Us Today!
One of the best tips we can share with you today is to schedule routine service for your home’s heating system. Our HVAC service, Fritts Heating & Air, is based in North Georgia and can quickly and accurately diagnose any issue your system might be experiencing and provide solutions. We know how important heating your home is around this time of year. We encourage you to implement our tips shared with you today in order to decrease your heating bill.