High Heating Bills? Know How To Lower Them
You may love stepping into your home in the winter and feeling the warmth of your furnace. However, you may not be excited to see that heating bill when you get it in the mail. Here are some tips that will help lower your heating bill this winter:
Seal Drafts
You most likely have drafty places in your home where cool air is coming into your home. You should take the time to seal these drafts as best as you can. This could involve putting weather stripping around old doors and windows where air tends to leak in the most. Electrical outlets on exterior walls are another place where cold air tends to leak in.
Use Space Heaters
It may seem counterintuitive to use space heaters to save money, but that is only if you are supplementing your heat with space heaters. Keeping the thermostat low and heating only the room you are in can be cheaper in the long run to heat your home.
An electric heater that uses 1.5 kilowatts of electricity will cost approximately 16 cents an hour to run. Meanwhile, an electric furnace can use between 10 and 50 kilowatts to run.
Use Window Film
Older windows will not enough insulation prevent heat loss. Consider covering them with thin plastic so that it acts as an additional barrier to trap the heat. Window films are easy to apply since you seal it using your bathroom hairdryer. A properly installed layer of window film can look seamless and provide you with additional energy savings.
Use Curtains
Curtains are a great way to put a barrier over those windows at night when the temperature outside drops. However, you should open those curtains throughout the day when you are away at work. It allows the heat from the sun to enter your house so that your furnace doesn't have to do all of the work.
Avoid Ventilator Fans
The ventilator fans installed in your bathroom and kitchen can be great at removing humidity and fumes from your home. Unfortunately, they could also be removing heat in the winter. You should only turn these fans on in the winter if it's necessary. For instance, do not turn the fan on if you are just using the bathroom, or cooking something that is creating steam rather than smoke.
Get a New Furnace
If your furnace is very old, you would be surprised at how efficient a newer furnace can be. You may be wasting tons of energy each month by using an outdated system that is inefficient compared to today's standards.
Check out a website like http://www.cblucashvac.com for more information and assistance.
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