Are you tired of overpaying for your home heating bill? Follow these nine tips to increase your home’s energy efficiency and save each month.
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Why Is My Heating Bill So High in the Winter?
If your heating bill increases every time the cold weather rolls around, one of the issues below could be the cause:
- The heat setting on your thermostat is too high
- Windows and doors stay open, letting cool air in and warm air out
- Your furnace is old, broken, energy-inefficient, or malfunctions
- You only wear warm weather clothes in the house, requiring more heat production
- Your home has poor insulation
- Your ductwork has air leaks
9 Ways to Save on Your Heating Bill
Here’s how you can save money on your heating bill every month.
- Lower the Thermostat Setting: A lower thermostat setting during the winter months will signal your furnace to run fewer heating cycles. The fewer cycles your furnace runs, the less energy it will use. You can also save money by decreasing the thermostat setting by a few degrees when you’re sleeping and away from home.
- Replace Your Furnace Air Filter: The gradual accumulation of debris in your furnace air filter restricts airflow and forces the system to expend more energy for heat production. You can reduce your house heating bill by replacing the furnace filters regularly—annually for pleated filters and quarterly for fiberglass filters.
- Seal Any Air Leaks: Leaks in your ductwork or home’s insulation allow the heat your furnace produces to escape before it heats rooms in your home. This causes the furnace to run continuous heat cycles without your home reaches the desired temperature. Find and seal the air leaks to prevent unnecessary energy loss.
- Book a Furnace Tune-Up: Not sure what’s causing your heating bill to spike? Contact your local Eanes technician to perform a routine furnace tune-up. The technician will identify the problem and offer a solution in as little as one visit. Schedule an annual furnace tune-up for optimal energy efficiency and cost savings.
- Keep Vents and Radiators Clear: Keep your air vents open, free from debris, and away from furniture and other items that would obstruct airflow. You should also keep potential obstructions away from the radiator. These small steps allow heat to circulate freely and prevent your furnace from working overtime.
- Add a Humidifier: Moist air heats more quickly than dry air does. Unfortunately, winter air is always on the dry side. Incorporating a humidifier into your heating system increases moisture in the air, which makes it easier (i.e. more energy-efficient) for your furnace to heat.
- Use Ceiling Fans: This may seem counterintuitive, but running your ceiling fans clockwise actually helps circulate heat. Since heat rises, the heat your furnace produces sits close to the ceiling. Clockwise moving fan blades help push that heat down where you feel it more.
- Minimize Bathroom and Kitchen Fan Use: Fans that rotate counterclockwise push air upward. Constantly running bathroom and kitchen fans will prevent you from moving the heat down and lowering your heating bill. All you need to do is use these fans less during the winter.
- Upgrade Your Equipment: Sometimes, the cause of your high heating bill is simply an outdated furnace. The best long-term solution to this problem is to install a new, more energy-efficient furnace.
Bonus: Get an Energy Audit
An energy audit will assess your home’s energy efficiency and offer suggestions for improvement. This is a cheap and easy way to save money on your heating bill each month.
Voted North Carolina’s #1 Heating Contractor
When it comes to professional heating services, Eanes is the name you can trust to get the job done right and save you money. We offer reliable maintenance, repairs, and installations for various types of heating systems. We also offer 24/7 emergency service with no emergency fees. Schedule the service you need today.