Saving energy on home heating isn’t just good for the environment. It’s good for your wallet too.
The average American family spends $1,400 a year on its energy bills, and nearly half of that goes to heating and cooling, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Here are some ways to reduce that expense–and the amount of energy your family consumes–during the winter:
– Have your heating equipment professionally inspected. A qualified heating contractor can make sure your furnace is running safely and at top efficiency. Annual inspections are recommended, but be sure to have a checkup at least every other year.
– Keep the system clean. A dirty filter impedes airflow and is more likely to allow dirt into the furnace or heat pump, increasing heating costs and causing your furnace to wear out faster. Check the filter monthly and replace or change it when necessary.
– Clean vacuum registers, baseboard heaters and radiators to remove dust that can keep some of the warm air from reaching a room.
– Use ventilating fans only as long as they’re needed. In just one hour, kitchen and bathroom fans can suck out an entire houseful of warmed air.
– Seal air leaks. Houses need to be able to breathe, but many have too much cold air coming in and too much heated air escaping.
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– If you can slip a playing card between an outside door or window and the frame, it’s time to install weatherstripping or replace the old. You can also stop air leaks by caulking gaps inside and outside the house, installing foam gaskets behind the covers of electrical outlets and light switches and closing the damper when the fireplace isn’t in use.
– Insulate properly. You’ll cut down on heat loss by adding insulation to exterior walls, attics and places such as crawl spaces, rim joists and the doors or covers on attic openings. If you already have insulation, check to make sure it hasn’t been disturbed or compressed, which decreases its effectiveness.
– Insulate windows. Plastic film insulation cuts heat loss through windows, especially those without double panes or storm windows. It comes in types for interior or exterior installation, is fairly easy to install and can be removed in spring.
– Let the sun shine in. Open curtains or blinds during the day on south- and west-facing windows. At night, close window coverings to hold warmth inside the house.
– Install a programmable thermostat. Turning a thermostat down from 72 to 65 degrees for eight hours a day can cut heating bills by as much as 10 percent. A programmable thermostat lowers the setting automatically during the times you’re normally away from home or in bed.
– Upgrade wisely. If your heating equipment is 15 years old or more or if it has been poorly maintained, it may be time for a more efficient replacement. Make sure the new system is the proper size for your home, however. An oversized system will cost more to buy and operate and will cycle on and off too frequently.
SOURCES: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY; BEACHWOOD, OHIO, HANDYMAN JACK KLEINMAN; GARY JACKSON, JACKSON COMFORT SYSTEMS, NORTHFIELD, OHIO; MARK QUINN, QUINN FURNACE CO., AKRON, OHIO
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Kris Karnopp ([email protected])