As the days start to get shorter and colder, there’s no doubt that the fall season is setting in. For most homeowners, this means turning on their heating systems to stay safe and comfortable. If you’re looking for ways to lower your heating bill this fall season, let’s look at some of our best tips for doing so.
Use Ceiling Fans
One of the most effective ways to help reduce your energy bills during the wintertime is to use ceiling fans. By setting your fan to spin in a clockwise direction, it will force hot air at the top of your room back down to the floor. This allows you to circulate warm air throughout each room without having to turn on your heating system to create more conditioned air.
Seal Off Air Leaks
Air leaks are one of the most significant culprits of high energy bills during the fall months. When cold air can seep in around doors and window frames, it causes the temperature inside your home to drop and your heating system to continually turn back on to combat the change in temperature. The best solution for this issue is to use caulking or weather stripping to seal up any air leaks around your doors and windows. You can use foam insert pads that sit behind the cover plate of outlets and light switches on your exterior walls to ensure they’re properly sealed up as well.
Open Blinds and Curtains
The sun has the natural ability to provide heat for your home for free. Do yourself a favor and open any blinds or curtains to allow natural sunlight to penetrate the air inside your home. Some studies suggest that natural sunlight can increase an area’s temperature by up to 10 degrees or more. This allows you to enjoy a comfortable home without having to consistently run your heating system.
Use a Smart Thermostat
Another big culprit of high energy bills in the fall is simply due to homeowner inefficiency. If you’re not optimizing your thermostat’s programming, you’re essentially throwing money down the drain. You should program your thermostat to be at a comfortable temperature at hours when you know you’re going to be home. Program it to be at lower temperatures during times that you know no one’s going to be home.
Increase Your Insulation
When you think of your home’s structure, it’s important to realize the role that insulation plays in temperature control. Every piece of insulation is given an R-value, which is its resistance to temperature change. The higher the R-value your insulation has, the more resistant it’s going to be to allowing outdoor cold air to affect the temperature inside your home. A great way to increase efficiency is to simply purchase insulation that either exceeds or meets the recommended R-value for your area.
Get Your Heating System Serviced
It doesn’t matter what you do outside of your heating system to control temperatures in your home if your heating system isn’t operating efficiently. You’re going to be struggling with high energy bills and an uncomfortable living environment. To prevent system inefficiency, you should invest in maintenance services for your heating system in the early fall. Our HVAC team will test all the components of your system and let you know if anything needs to undergo replacement or repair. This will ensure that your system works as efficiently as possible so that you know you’re not wasting any of your hard-earned money.
Keep Up With HVAC Filter Changes
One of the largest efficiency killers when it comes to home heating systems is dirty air filters. You should be checking the filter in your HVAC system at least once a month to see if it needs to be replaced with a new one. Be sure to have at least one spare air filter on hand so you never miss the opportunity to replace a dirty one when necessary. Look for particle buildup on your filter’s surface. Less light will pass through a dirty filter as well.
Budget Billing
Another great way to help save on your heating bills is to sign up for a budget billing program and an HVAC maintenance membership plan. Most fuel company providers will offer a reduced rate per unit of fuel for customers who sign up for budget billing programs to help guarantee that they’re selling fuel throughout the winter months.
Use a Humidifier
Many homeowners are surprised to hear that their indoor humidity can drop down to close to 10% during the winter months. This not only leads to uncomfortably dry and itchy skin, but it also causes static electricity inside the home. A whole-house humidifier can be a great way to help decrease those issues while making your home feel warmer. When moisture is in abundance in the air, it’s more receptive to holding in heat than if the air had little moisture. By keeping a relative humidity level of around 30% to 50%, you can ensure the air in your home feels warmer without having to increase the temperature on your heating system.
Consider Duct Sealing and Cleaning
If you have a forced-air heating system, then you rely on ductwork to deliver warm air throughout your home. Over time, your ductwork can develop gaps due to the natural process of expansion and contraction. These gaps can allow your hot air to escape into wall and floor cavities. It can also allow unwanted dust and other debris to enter the inside of your ductwork. As time goes by, the debris inside your ductwork can build up and restrict the airflow through your ductwork.
Professional duct cleaning service helps to remove that built-up debris to help provide adequate air flow throughout your ductwork while enhancing your indoor air quality. Duct sealing service is all about sealing up any gaps or leaks in your ductwork to ensure that none of your hot air escapes. When your heating system can operate more efficiently, you can enjoy spending less on energy bills.
Upgrade Systems
One commonly overlooked way to save money on your energy bills throughout the winter months is to simply upgrade your heating system. If your existing heating system is over 10 years old, it isn’t as efficient as more modern-day heating systems. You can even take it a step further and invest in a high-efficiency heating system that can provide even more energy savings for you and your family.
Get a Home Energy Audit
One of the best investments you can make to help discover where your home is losing the most heat is to get a home energy assessment. This assessment will look at areas of heat loss and give you a list of specific locations in your home that you can focus on to enhance your energy savings.
Reliable Heating Service
Green Dot Heating & Air offers reliable heating service for residents throughout the entire Wilmington, NC community. Our technicians can also help with all your cooling, electrical, ductless mini-split, indoor air quality, ductwork, smart thermostat, and HVAC zoning needs.
Contact our friendly staff today to plan your next service appointment.