Heating Tips

• Seal ductwork leaks.
• Heat your home only during the time you actually need the heat. Programmable thermostats turn down the temperature when no one is home and while you are sleeping, saving you on your gas and electric bill.
• Close crawl space vents in winter. Open them in the spring. Attics need ventilation year-round, never close attic vents.
• Caulk and weather-strip against drafts. Weather-strip doors and windows. Install foam insulation gaskets behind outlet and light switch plates. Use spray-in foam insulation in larger gaps and cracks.
• Keep fireplace dampers closed while not in use. Warm air rises up and escapes out the chimney. Fireplaces with both glass doors and dampers are more efficient.
• Increase your comfort without changing the thermostat. You feel cold by windows because your body heat radiates towards the colder window. Put more clothing on or close draperies to stop your radiant heat loss without raising the temperature on the thermostat.
• Add insulation. This saves on air conditioning, too. Older homes have older insulation with lower R Factors than newly built homes. Additional insulation can be blown into attics and into walls with no insulation, dramatically decreasing the amount of heat your house loses.
• Clean or change furnace and air conditioning filters regularly. Clean your supply registers and return grills; the dust that builds up throughout the year restricts airflow and increases operating costs. Clean baseboards and radiators for homes with boilers (both steam and hot water); years of dust and debris slow radiant heat convection.
• Improve Windows. Seal up cracks. Install new weather-stripping. Replacing older windows with double pane, low E windows can also dramatically affect your heating bills.
• Keep your garage door closed. This will keep any rooms above from getting colder and pipes from freezing. Garages are usually not insulated as well as the rest of the house; the open door will draw heat away from any adjacent rooms.
• Annual Service is important. A well-tuned and consistently serviced furnace is safer, more reliable and uses less energy.
• Let some light in. If your windows have a low E value and are weather-stripped, leaving the drapery and blinds open will help your home absorb the sun's solar radiation.