Everyone in Southwest Illinois loves lower heating bills. Luckily there are many things you can do to make this happen. Follow some of these suggestions and leave extra money in your wallet this winter:Â
- Service your heater. Having your furnace, heat pump or whatever you use to heat your home tuned up, filters replaced, and any necessary repairs made will ensure your system is running as efficiently as possible. To save money over the long term, consider getting a maintenance service plan.
- Check and replace the filter in your forced-air heating system once a month or as necessary during heating season. A dirty filter causes your furnace to work harder, wasting energy and reducing performance.
- Install a programmable thermostat. Â Program it for a lower temperature during hours when the house is empty or at night. Turning down the temperature even a couple of degrees on a consistent basis can make a difference.
- Open curtains and shades during the day to let sunlight warm your home.
- Seal around windows and doors. Use caulk around window frames, replace weatherstripping around windows and doors. You can also use plastic film over windows.
- Seal other leaks in your home. Examples might be holes or gaps in siding, holes or gaps around pipes where they enter your house, and around electrical outlets.
- Make sure your home is well insulated. Lots of heat can be lost through the roof and walls if your home if it is not sufficiently insulated. Depending on how much heat is being lost, this step can significantly lower your heating bills. Add more or higher R-value insulation if necessary.
- Seal ductwork. Ductwork sections have seams, and the connections can wear out, creating air leaks.
- Make sure heating vents are not blocked. Heating vents blocked with furniture, rugs or drapes aren’t allowing the heat to get out into the room.
- Clean heating vents. Clean ducts if necessary. As with the filter, the more dust and dirt your furnace has to push air through, the harder it has to work.
For help making your HVAC system more efficient in Greenville, Edwardsville, Staunton and the surrounding Metro-East areas, please contact us at Ernst Heating & Cooling. Schedule your appointment and start enjoying lower heating bills today.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Hamel, Alton, Glen Carbon, Highland, Greenville, and Troy, Illinois and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about lowering heating bills and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.Â
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