Fall and winter bring festive holidays and relief from summer heat, but for many Lewistown, PA, homeowners, they also mean bigger utility bills. Instead of avoiding high heating costs by putting on another sweater or layering your socks, take a look at your home’s furnace or heater efficiency and see how you can cut high heating costs while staying cozy.
Inefficiency in Your Home’s Heating System
Just as your car needs an occasional oil change or filter replacement, your home’s heating system needs regular maintenance to perform well. Over time, furnace filters become blocked and no longer allow as much air to pass through them, making your furnace work harder to reach a comfortable temperature. If you’ve noticed a gradual rise in heating costs, your furnace or heater may need routine maintenance to lower your heating bills.
If your bills have suddenly increased, maintenance alone may not be the answer. Ducts that have slipped out of alignment or lost their insulation stop your heater or furnace from performing effectively and keep the unit running constantly, driving costs higher. Heat pumps can also cause a sudden spike in costs if the heat strips within the unit come on when they shouldn’t. Heat strips provide supplemental heat when it’s needed, but they should only be in use when your system isn’t able to draw enough heat from the surrounding air.
Furnace or heater maintenance or repair can bring high bills back to earth, but it’s worth inspecting the rest of your home for heat loss zones too.
Heat Loss in the Home
Gaps around doors and windows may seem minor, but they quickly become costly. Keep doors and windows closed when you turn on the heat. Look for areas where weather stripping is missing and replace it, or use draft blockers near doors.
Ventilation is necessary to indoor air quality, but pay attention to how often you use bathroom or kitchen fans. They’re designed to take humid air or smoke away and bring in fresher air, but they also cost your home some of its heat, making your heater or furnace do extra work. If you have a fireplace that isn’t in use, keep the flue closed and replace grating or screens with glass doors if possible.
To learn more about how you can skip the sticker shock and lower your heating bills this year in your Lewistown, PA home, look for heating solutions from Triangle Heating & Cooling or call (814) 355-7653. It’s never too early for a maintenance check to see that your heating system is in good shape and ready to keep you warm and comfortable this winter.
