There are many things you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your home, and there are also many things you may do to harm it. Avoid the following common home heating mistakes this winter to get the most out of your energy budget.
Contents
Common Home Heating Mistakes
Ignoring drafts and leaks
When there are leaks to the outside world, it’s impossible to create an efficient home. If the warm air pumped out by your furnace is solely replaced by cold air from the outside, your home will never attain the desired warm and comforting temperature. Your attic and basement are two places where overlooked air drafts can do serious damage.
You don’t have to worry about sealing every crack or gap, but any larger holes should be addressed immediately. This can result in significant savings on your home heating expense.
Heating an empty house
If you’re at work for the majority of the day or away for the weekend, don’t heat the house as much as you would if you were staying there. Invest in a programmable thermostat to save money on your energy expenses. Set it to turn down the heat while you’re gone and to re-heat the house when you get home.
Not locking your windows
Obviously, you close your windows in the winter. Do you, however, remember to lock them? If your windows are not properly sealed, cold air can enter your home and the warm air produced by your furnace can escape. During the winter, make sure to lock all of your windows.
Dirty filters and vents
Ducts, filters, and vents that are clean can have a significant impact on home heating. Most households should be able to replace their unclean air filters with ease. Air filters should be changed once a month at the very least, and never more than three months without being replaced. Furthermore, floor vents are accessible and quickly clogged with pet hair, food crumbs, and dust.
Make it a habit to open and clean them as part of your regular cleaning regimen. Your interior air quality is impacted by all of the junk in your heating system. It also makes it more difficult for warm air to circulate through your ductwork and into your home, where it is needed.
Using a non-programmable thermostat
It’s difficult to develop energy-saving practices. It’s acceptable if you forget to switch off lights in a room or lower your temperature before leaving because you have so many other things to deal with in your everyday life. Fortunately, technological advancements can relieve us of part of this load.
Your system will adjust to your schedule without you having to worry about it if you use a programmable thermostat. These will set you back around $100, but they will easily pay for themselves over time. A smart thermostat is near twice as expensive, but it can link to your smartphone and provide you remote management of your system.
Closing vents in unused rooms
To conserve money, you might assume it makes sense to close the vents in vacant rooms. After all, why waste energy heating a space that isn’t occupied? The ductwork for your heating system is designed to provide even warmth throughout the house, and if you upset that balance by sealing vents, the system will not perform efficiently.
Neglecting regular furnace maintenance
Your furnace, like your automobile, needs routine maintenance to stay in good working order. Don’t overlook this. A well-maintained system will operate more efficiently, lowering your energy expenditures. Regular inspections will also guarantee that a minor issue does not turn into a major maintenance issue.
Turning your thermostat down too low
While you don’t want to heat your home when you’re not at home, don’t turn the thermostat down too low while you’re gone. When it comes time to turn the heat back on, doing so will just make your furnace work harder, costing you more money in the long run.
Leaving exhaust fans on
This is one of the common home heating mistakes to avoid. Turn off an exhaust fan in the bathroom or kitchen as soon as you’ve finished using it. Exhaust fans are required to remove wet or odorous air from your home, but you don’t want to be blasting warm air out of your home for any longer than necessary.
