Jeff "King of the Castle"
Whenever the outdoor temperatures drop, your indoor temperatures rise. And as your indoor temperatures rise, your energy bills follow suit. Heating up your space can cost you a lot.
You’re hoping that this year you won’t want to faint when you open up your energy bill and see what you owe. You want to shrink your heating costs. So, how can you do that?
Clean Up Your Filter
One of the common causes of inefficient home heating is a clogged filter. The HVAC system will have to expend twice as much energy to keep your home half as warm. So, if you’d like to stay cozy during the colder months and save on energy costs, you should investigate the system’s air filter.
If your HVAC system has a built-in filter, all you will have to do is remove it and give it a thorough clean. Let it dry completely. Then, place it back in its slot. It should run much better after that!
If your HVAC system happens to have a disposable filter, you will need to remove it and replace it with a fresh one. You’ll want to be sure that the replacement filter is the right size and thickness for it to properly slide into the slot. You’ll also want it to have a good MERV rating, which determines efficiency at trapping particles of certain sizes. Ideally, homeowners should aspire to have a filter with a MERV rating between 6 and 10.
Another Money-Saving Reason to Clean Your Filter
A clogged filter won’t just save you on energy bills this year — it can help you save on repair bills, too. When you let a furnace run with a clogged filter for too long, it can force the appliance to work too hard to run and potentially overheat. This can cause some serious maintenance problems that you’ll want to avoid in the middle of winter. A day without any heat could be an emergency.
If you’re ever in a situation where your furnace isn’t working, you should call a repair person as soon as possible. You don’t want to skip this maintenance for the sake of saving a little bit of money. If you really don’t have the savings available, you could try to apply for a Line of Credit through CreditFresh as a solution. With an approved line of credit, you could request a withdrawal within your credit limit and use the temporary funds to cover the costs of your urgent repairs. Once the emergency is over, you can repay what you borrowed and refill your line of credit. It’s simple.
Maintain a Moderate Temperature
You don’t have to turn your house into a sauna. Set your programmable thermostat at a moderate temperature — high enough that you stay safe and comfortable indoors when it’s freezing outdoors, but not so high that you’re tempted to walk around in shorts and a t-shirt. Use your clothing and bedding to get warmer whenever necessary instead of depending on your furnace. Putting on a sweater or adding another blanket to your bed is much cheaper than cranking up the heat every single day of the season.
Seal Up Your Air Leaks
You can save some money on energy costs by sealing up the air gaps around your windows and doors. Air gaps will let the seasonal cold creep inside and make the room feel cooler.
This will, in turn, make you turn up your furnace even more to compensate for the cold.
How Can You Seal Air Gaps?
- Add a layer of caulking around the gaps of your window frames and door frames. Remove any old, worn-down caulking first.
- Install weatherstripping inside of the window and door frames for extra protection.
- Place door snakes or door draft blockers by the bottoms of your exit doors.
Heating up your house doesn’t have to lead to sky-high energy bills. You can conserve heat and money this fall by following these tips.
