We’re going to venture to guess that if you could find a way to increase your comfort within your home while lowering your heating bill simultaneously, you’ll take the chance to do so. The good news is that you absolutely can, and it doesn’t take much effort! There are ways to use your heating system more efficiently so you can maintain home comfort but not spend an arm and a leg on your heating efforts. Keep reading to learn more.
Schedule Maintenance
If you didn’t do so before the heating season began, it’s never too late to schedule heating maintenance (in the absence of a complete system breakdown, that is). Preventive heating maintenance is one of the best ways to make sure you are getting the most out of your heating system—in other words, that you’re getting the most “bang for your buck.” This will make your heating bills lower, your comfort greater, and even the air you breathe in your home healthier!
Heater tune-ups are not expensive—particularly when you compare them to the repair costs you’re avoiding just by having maintenance done. We even have a maintenance program here at Shavitz that includes priority service and discounts on repairs, installations, and more.
Have a Smart Thermostat Installed
What type of thermostat are you currently using to control your HVAC systems? If your answer is an outdated manual slider thermostat, or even a years-old digital thermostat without programming, then there is definitely room for improvement. A smart thermostat, also referred to as a Wi-Fi thermostat, has the ability to learn from your heating and cooling preferences to offer you convenience and savings.
A smart thermostat will pick up on your preferred temperatures and your peak times for heating and cooling. Over time, these thermostats can even highlight opportunities for you to save energy. A smart or Wi-Fi thermostat is a cost-effective way to heat your living space.
Have Your Air Ducts Sealed
No, this is not something you can accomplish on your own with a bit of store-bought duct tape. In fact, duct tape is not appropriately named, since it should never be used on HVAC air ducts. But when your ductwork is damaged and leaking conditioned air, you may be running your cooling or heating system longer to compensate without even realizing it.
As a result, your energy bills will rise and you’ll be wasting conditioned air as it will be expelled into unused areas of your home, like the attic or crawlspace.
Use Your Ceiling Fans!
Many homeowners don’t realize this little trick. Using your ceiling fans, in reverse, during the winter actually helps more evenly distribute the air coming from your forced air heater. As a result, you’ll feel warmer and you won’t have to set your thermostat as high. Therefore, it won’t run as long and use as much energy—saving you money. Your ceiling fans don’t use near as much energy as your HVAC systems do, either, so you don’t need to worry about that.
If you have any questions or concerns about your HVAC efficiency or steps you can take to improve it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.
For expert help with your heating in Park Ridge, IL, contact Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning today.