How to Heat Your Home Effectively This Winter

Just because winters can be cold, wet, and miserable in Richmond, it doesn’t mean that you need to put up with the resulting high heating bills. Reinsulating your home is the best way to avoid overrunning your furnace, but that can be costly and inconvenient.

Fortunately, there are many other small things you can do to improve your home’s energy efficiency which will all add up to saving you a tidy sum on your energy bill. So, to get you started with some ideas, here are five ways to heat your home more efficiently this winter.

1.) Switch to a programmable thermostat.

Programmable thermostats take the guess work out of which settings to use. Reducing the temperature in your home by several degrees at night and when you leave during the day can save you up to 3 percent on heating costs. Try these settings:

• 21° (70°F) when relaxing
• 20° (68°F) when working/exercising
• 18° (64°F) when sleeping or away for the day
• 16° (61°F) when away on vacation

2.) Winterize your windows and doors.

Fill in the gaps! As much as 13 percent of your home’s heat loss is through your windows and doors. Try closing a tissue in a door or window. If you can easily pull it free, then you’ve got draft problems. To correct the issue, replace the weather stripping or caulking around windows and doors. Doing so could reduce your home’s energy needs by up to 25%.

3.) Adjust the settings on your water heater.

Most plumbers in Richmond can install a timer on residential water heaters to help customers save money on their energy bills. Have it set to turn off at night and then back on just before you wake up in the morning.

4.) Close off air vents in unused rooms.

There’s no sense heating a room when it’s not in use! Shut the air vent covers in rooms that are not occupied very often to help warm air flow into rooms more frequently used. For warmer rooms, use vent covers to push heat outwards rather than upwards.

5.) Make sure your furnace is running smoothly.

For many homes in Richmond, a clogged furnace filter is the main culprit for poor air circulation and inadequate heating. To determine if it needs to be changed, hold it up to a light bulb. Don’t see the bulb? Then it’s time for a new filter. Check your filter about once every three months.

Richmond furnace repair and service

At Hillcrest Plumbing & Heating Ltd., we provide cleaning and repair services to help your furnace function at its best, which means you will save even more money on your heating costs. To learn more, contact us today!