Littleton, CO, winters can be brutal with extreme cold and precipitation, making your furnace work extra hard to heat your home. The harder your furnace works, the more energy and fuel you use, and the higher your utility bills will be. However, with a few simple tricks and some help from our team, you can keep your heating costs down, so you don’t need to break the bank to keep your home comfortable. Read on to learn some tips for boosting efficiency and saving your hard-earned money this winter.
Block the Cold From Entering
Letting cold air from the outside into your house can have a dramatic effect on the efficiency of your heating system. Close all the windows in the house, and make sure they are secure with no drafts coming through. Seal drafty windows with weatherproofing plastic to keep the cold winter wind from blowing through them.
Although it is not possible to keep doors closed all the time, you can limit the number of times you open and close them. Each time you open an exterior door, you’re letting cold air in and warm air outside. If you have an attached garage, use the door there to enter and exit the house whenever possible to prevent outdoor air from blowing indoors.
Bundle Up
Rather than crank your thermostat up when you get a little chilly, layer your clothes to add warmth. Wearing a cozy cardigan and thick socks while relaxing around the house can help combat the cold without added heating costs. When lying on the couch, cover up with a soft blanket. If you get cold while sleeping, put an extra quilt on your bed, or switch to flannel sheets for the winter. Heated throws and blankets are a great idea for extra winter warmth as well and can help you lower the cost of heating in your Littleton home by quite a bit this winter.
Use Ceiling Fans
Most ceiling fans have a switch that allows you to change the direction in which the blades move. For winter, set the blades to turn clockwise. This creates an updraft, helping to circulate the warm air that rises and push it down. This helps create a more comfortable, even temperature throughout the home. The updraft also prevents cool air from giving you chills as you relax beneath the fan.
Change Your Air Filters
Your furnace has air filters that block dust and debris, keeping these contaminants out of your system. Change your furnace filters every one to three months, depending on your system and your home environment. If the filters are not changed, they could become clogged and may not allow air to flow through as easily. When this happens, your furnace will have to work harder to provide heat for your home, causing your energy costs to skyrocket. This added stress is also hard on the components of your furnace and could lead to premature breakdown, system failure, and a shorter lifespan of the system.
Schedule Annual Maintenance
Maintenance is a crucial service for your heating system. During annual furnace maintenance, our technicians look for signs of damage or wear that can cause your system to malfunction. We clean away dust and other debris that can cause added stress and strain on the system. We lubricate moving parts to protect against friction, assess electrical and gas hookups for safety and proper function, and test safety controls to ensure your furnace stops when a dangerous malfunction occurs. Our comprehensive maintenance service keeps your system operating efficiently to hold your heating costs down during the winter. Annual maintenance also helps prevent unexpected breakdowns, extends the lifespan of your system, and improves the quality of your indoor air.
Schedule Duct Cleaning and Repair
Your ductwork carries hot air from the furnace to the vents placed throughout your home. If the ducts are blocked or damaged, your furnace must work harder to heat the house and may struggle to reach an ideal temperature. For professional duct cleaning, the technician uses a high-suction vacuum and compressed air to blast contaminants out of the ductwork. This helps create a clean and obstruction-free pathway for conditioned air to travel.
Damaged ducts can allow heat to leave the air ducts before the hot air reaches the vents. Corroded ducts may eventually have holes, while damaged ductwork may have gaps, both issues allowing hot air out of the ductwork. Professional duct repair and replacement may be necessary to protect the hot air from your furnace and ensure it reaches the vents efficiently.
Upgrade Your Thermostat
A great way to save on heating costs in winter is by keeping your home a little cooler when you are away. With a programmable or smart thermostat, you can set the device to automatically change the temperature based on your routine. Keep your home cooler while household members are at work or school, and use the programmable thermostat to boost the temperature back up before they return, so everyone arrives in a warm and cozy house.
Smart thermostats work similarly but are often connected to an app so that you can adjust them even when you aren’t home. Smart thermostats also help you see your usage details, and some can learn your habits over time and automatically adjust for you.
Update the Furnace
An aging heating system is less efficient than a new furnace, which could cause your winter heating costs to rise. If your furnace is more than 10 years old and is losing efficiency, it may be time to upgrade your heating system. A new furnace brings reliable, safe, and efficient heating, so you can stay warm without having to continuously increase the temperature setting on your thermostat.
Switch to a Heat Pump
Heat pumps use air from the ground to heat your home. This creates an environmentally friendly system that is more energy-efficient that systems that burn fuel for heating.
Install a Zoning System
Zoning systems use dampers within the ductwork and connected thermostats to allow you to adjust the temperature of different areas of your home separately. These systems are ideal for larger homes because they allow you to keep your main living spaces warm and cozy while keeping seldom-used areas at a lower temperature to offset heating costs.
Your Home Comfort Professionals
Our crew of professional technicians at Simply Mechanical have advanced skills and vast knowledge of heating systems, helping us keep your system efficient and reliable. We offer a range of heating services as well as cooling repairs, installations, and maintenance. We also offer ductless mini-splits, heat pumps, and boilers, giving you an array of options to choose from when deciding how to keep your home comfortable. In addition, we offer indoor air quality services, so you can breathe easier while you relax in the comfort of your Littleton home throughout the year.
Schedule professional heating services with the top technicians in Littleton by calling Simply Mechanical today.
