It’s no secret that your energy bills go way up in winter – and simply stepping outside for a minute is enough for you to figure out why! It’s freezing out there, and unless you want it to be that cold inside, you’ll need to turn on the heat. Unfortunately, the energy required to heat up a home is much more than the energy required to cool it down because going from 15 degrees to 70 is a lot harder than 85 to 70. Keeping your heating bills reasonable during the colder months can be a challenge, especially in the heart of winter. And if you think that the cost of keeping warm is high… the cost of not keeping warm can be even higher. Houses, furniture, pipes, and appliances weren’t built to be frozen, and neglecting to turn on the heat can cause serious damage to all of them. Your hands are tied here – but fortunately, we’ve got some tips to keep heating bills low this winter.
A Programmable Thermostat
If you haven’t equipped your home with a programmable thermostat yet, you’re missing out! Programmable thermostats can help keep heating heating bills low by more responsively regulating your home’s temperature throughout the day. Gone are the days of turning off the heat in the morning and turning it back at night when you get home – your programmable thermostat will do all of that for you!
Clean or Replace Your Filters (You Knew This Was Coming!)
A clogged furnace filter doesn’t just help circulate unclean air, it also makes air distribution throughout the house more difficult since air cannot pass as easily through it. This makes your furnace work harder and use more energy to keep up. We say it all the time, but it’s vitally important: change your filters every couple of months to keep heating bills low. The same goes for the vents your warm air blows through, too. If your vents are covered or blocked by furniture, excessive dirt, dust, or pet hair, heat can’t rise through your home as easily. Your thermostat won’t feel the heat, and will tell your furnace to keep burning through your energy budget to pump heat that never makes a difference.
Clean those filters, people!
Install a Humidifier
A whole home humidifier will help keep moisture in house, even as the air outside becomes extremely dry. Maintaining your home’s humidity is important during the fall and winter, as humid air retains heat more efficiently than cold, dry air. That’s part of the reason why your home stays so darn hot during the summer months! With the help of a whole house humidifier, your home will stay warmer, longer, with less effort from your furnace. On top of that, the extra air moisture helps keep you comfortable by preventing your skin from drying out as easily and helps prevent other seasonal discomforts like scratchy throats and chapped lips.
Seal It Up
One of the biggest reasons your heating bill is so high is because of drafty windows and doors. Homes with old, improperly insulated, or leaky windows and doors are basically throwing money out the window. Thankfully, there a variety of fixes for this, ranging from simple to complex. Caulking or weather-sealing your home’s windows is a simple solution to patch up drafts. For larger windows, applying a window film on the inside or heavier shades around it can add the additional layer of protection your home needs to retain heat better. Finally, if you’re tired of quick fixes – consider upgrading and installing some brand new energy-efficient windows in your home.
Have your Furnace Serviced/Tuned-Up
When was the last time your furnace got a tune up? If it’s been a couple of years since your last inspection, or if your furnace is just getting up in years, it’s time. Long gaps in service can allow your furnace to develop issues that prevent it from running as efficiently as possible. When your furnace is limited in its heat output due to problems that can be easily fixed, you are paying way more for your heating bills than you need to.
Regular furnace maintenance will help keep your furnace running smoothly, will head off any issues before they get worse, and keep your heating bills low as a result. If your furnace is too old, or beyond repair, we’ll figure that out too. A newer, more energy-efficient furnace is a sizable investment but one that can pay off in the long run, both monetarily and comfort-wise.
Get in Touch
If you need help with your heating system or just want an inspection to be sure everything’s running as it should be, we can help. You can get in touch with the comfort experts at Hoosier Indoor air by calling 317-343-4462 or scheduling a service appointment online.
We look forward to speaking with you! Stay warm out there, Indiana!
