You would love to cut your heating bills this winter, but you might be wondering what kinds of strategies are going to be the most useful. What techniques should you use to cut your costs by hundreds of dollars? While many different types of techniques work, what’s going to be best for each house might vary from one person to the next. There are, however, some techniques that everyone should look into using. Check out some of these money-saving tips.
Keep Your House a Little Cool and a Little Humid
Most people don’t like cold and damp. However, by running a humidifier, you might be more comfortable at a slightly cooler temperature. In the summer, we try to remove the humidity from the air in our homes because moisture makes it harder for the sweat on our bodies to evaporate. In the winter, this can actually help us keep heat inside of our bodies. Plus, you’ll get the added benefit of more hydrated skin and sinus passageways. Turn your thermostat down by a couple of degrees and turn the humidifier on to save hundreds of dollars throughout the course of winter.
Install Plenty of Insulation
A lot of people know that the insulation in their attics is really important when it comes to lowering their heating bills. But, do you know what signs to look for if you need more insulation? If you notice that your roof is free of snow or you’re getting ice dams on your roof, there’s a good chance that you need more insulation. As heat rises from the house, the snow on your house melts. If you have enough insulation, the outside air will refreeze the snow. However, if heat is leaking from your roof, the snow will completely melt and run off the roof. To prevent heat from escaping from your roof, you can add more insulation to your attic. This will dramatically decrease your heating bills over the winter.
One area of the home that people often overlook is the basement. When you have a house with an unfinished basement, insulating it should be a lot easier and less expensive. You should do this before you do any kinds of renovations downstairs.
Put on Some Layers
Getting a few sweaters and a pair of warm pants could dramatically reduce the amount of money that you put into heating your house this winter. You want to keep the clothing loose so that your body has the ability to move, which will help with circulation. Having multiple layers can really help your body retain more heat. Plus, you can put on more layers or take them off as you begin to feel a little too hot or too cold.
Turn the Thermostat Down at Key Times
You don’t need the house to be very warm if you’re going to be out for the day or if you’re sleeping. At times like these, one of your best strategies is to lower the temperature. Just set the thermostat to turn off half an hour before you go to bed and turn back on half an hour before you get up. You can do the same when you leave for work. It takes some energy to get the house back to its regular temperature, so it makes less sense if you’re going to be out for only an hour or two. You can save hundreds of dollars every month by being mindful of the thermostat setting and turning it down when you don’t need it.
Maintain Your HVAC System
If you’re looking for a way to get the most out of your furnace, you should take the time and energy to make sure that it’s properly maintained. For instance, when your air filter is dirty, your furnace has to work harder to push the air through the system, which makes it more expensive to run. But if you do some maintenance at the beginning of the season, you can drastically cut down on the amount of energy that your furnace needs to run.
Let the Sun Shine in
If you want to utilize a free resource, open your blinds and curtains to let the heat from the sun inside. You’d be surprised how much heat enters your house. Later, you can simply close the shades when the sun goes down to keep more heat inside.
When you’re looking for some tips on how to lower your heating bills, call WK Mechanical, Inc. in Middletown, NY. We’re here to help you with all your heating and cooling needs. We offer comprehensive heating and cooling services as well as generators and boilers.
