The trouble with Heating Costs in the Fall and Winter? Here is How to Save

For most homeowners, the rising cost of heating is troubling. But the good news is that this is one cost that you don’t have to stand by idly and watch rise. It is about doing a thorough inspection of your home to identify problem areas and fixing them straight away. You’d be surprised at how these small efforts combine for significant savings.

Reverse Direction with the Ceiling Fan

Not only should you leave the ceiling fan running in the winter and the fall, but you should also change the blade direction to derive the maximum heat benefit. There should be a switch on your fan to change direct to reverse clockwise). If you can’t find it, check out your owner’s manual (they’ll tell you). Ceiling fans don’t use a lot of energy, but they do harness hot air that naturally rises and then pushes it back down through the room, heating the room more efficiently.

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Furnace Tune-Up

If you are going to do just one thing this season to try to save on heating costs, this is an excellent choice. Getting a furnace tune-up cleans the system out, as well as helps to identify any problems that may be standing in the way of your unit being the most energy efficient that it can be. This is a good time to change your air filter as well. Dirty filters prevent air flow, which means that your furnace needs to work harder (and cost more money).

Seal in Windows

Don’t let your costly warm air seep out the windows. Boost insulation by adding a plastic wrap. It may be enough just to attach it to the frame, or you may want to get heat shrink wrap, which will adhere directly to the window itself (hint: use a hair dryer). Consider getting insulated curtains or layered curtains which will act as an extra measure against the cold.

Attend to the Doors

You may see a gap between exterior doors and the threshold, letting cold air in and warm air out. Seal that hole with some new magnetic weather stripping, which is easy to install. You can also boost up the threshold with a few extra layers of an adjustable threshold, which will level that gap out.

Chimney Pillow

You may notice a draft when you walk by your fireplace. That’s because there is a large exchange of warm air as it rises out your chimney for cold air as it descends into your home. Stop that flow of air by inserting a chimney pillow. You can also simply shut the damper to stop that air flow.

Open Curtains

Want to do something easy to help with energy efficiency? Open the curtains and take advantage of the solar power of those warm rays coming through the windows.

As a homeowner, your home matters a great deal to you, and we get that. That’s why Green Horizon always do what we can to share our expertise with you. We’d love to hear from you. Call us today at (919) 323-8705 in Durham, NC