Winter wreaks havoc on our energy bills. To no surprise, the biggest culprit is your furnace. Heating your home accounts for nearly half your total energy consumption. Fortunately, there are ways to conserve energy during these cold months that don’t involve cranking up the thermostat. Here are 5 EASY energy saving tips to conserve energy and keep the heat in your home.
1. Eliminate Drafts & Air Leaks
Doors & windows are the most obvious sources of heat loss, but they are often an easy fix. Just throw a towel under a drafty door, or put film around your windows to insulate. Any broken seals around frames can be fixed with caulk. Closing up those tiny leaks can make a big difference on how much your furnace is running.
2. Switch to LED lights
The lights you use in your home make a big difference in your energy bills. LED lights are the most energy efficient option out there. LED lights are 75% more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs. They last longer too!
3. Use Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are not only great in the summer, but they play a vital role in the winter too. Heat naturally rises, so if you switch your fan to clockwise in the winter, it will create an updraft that will push warm air down. The consistent air circulation will help keep comfortable air dispersed evenly throughout the room.
4. Use Your Curtains & Blinds
Curtains and blinds allow you to control the sunlight in your home, and thus, allow you to control the temperature. Although it sounds obvious, allowing sunlight in every day warms the home immensely. And closing them at night can help keep that heat from escaping. Doing the opposite in summer will keep the cool air in. Cheap & easy tasks like this are a great way to contain the temperature of your home at no extra cost!
Check out A Moment with Franca’s blog to learn more about how curtains affect the temperature of your home & which ones are right for your space:
How To Keep Your Home Warm With Blinds And Curtains • A Moment With Franca
5. Regular Furnace Maintenance
Something as simple as changing out your filter regularly can save a lot on utility costs. A clogged air filter causes your unit to work harder to perform its basic task. Signing up for a Preventative maintenance plan will let professional HVAC technicians perform all necessary functions to your unit that will prevent any serious problems and will ensure that your heat is running as useful and efficient as possible. Call Poorman’s Heating & Air at (260)422-3534 & let us ensure your furnace’s efficiency.