We could all use a bit of extra spending money, but those monthly bills get in the way. Often, homeowners are paying a lot more than they have to on home necessities without realizing it. Some small changes to the way you use and maintain your heating system can help it to run more smoothly and reduce your monthly spending on energy and fuel costs.
As heating experts, we know of many ways to upgrade a heating system and help your home to operate more efficiently—things we wouldn’t recommend homeowners try on their own. However, there are also some small things you can do which, when you think about it, just make sense!
Use Natural Heat in the Daytime
Electric lighting is a major part of our lives. We sit in office buildings with fluorescent lighting, shop in buildings without any natural light, and therefore don’t necessarily give it a second thought when we’re sitting at home with the blinds closed and the lights turned on. But this wastes energy in multiple ways!
There’s no need to waste energy keeping the lights on in the daytime when there is natural light outdoors. In addition, opening up the blinds or curtains allows radiant heating to enter the home, which can help cut back on energy bills. Be sure to open up the blinds before you leave for work, and close shades when it starts to get dark out.
Turn Down the Thermostat
We know that this may not be a possibility for everyone. It’s a bit of an oversimplification, as elderly people, infants, and anyone with an illness may need to keep the thermostat up at a fairly high temperature. But for the rest of us, turning down the temperature to save money on heating!
Still, this can be more difficult than it seems. We recommend keeping the thermostat at about 68-71°F when you are home (if you can handle this temperature), and reducing it by 5-10° when you are away—but it’s easy to forget. A smart thermostat helps to make this easier with the ability to control temperatures from your phone.
Keep Blankets and Warm Clothes Handy
Feeling cold? Grab a blanket! It’s a common-sense way to save money on heating that’s easy to forget, especially when you’re in a room with no blankets around and the thermostat is so convenient. But turning up the temperature on the thermostat should only come after sweaters and blankets don’t help to keep you warm. We recommend keeping chic baskets around the house with throw blankets so anyone can relax and cover up whenever they choose to.
Call Technicians When Something Goes Wrong
You wouldn’t drive your car if it was making a noise you couldn’t explain, would you? We hope not. This same logic should apply to your heating system. Call in technicians the moment you notice something wrong with your heater in order to protect your system and save money. The longer you wait to call for service, the worse a problem can get, and it may cost more in the end.
Schedule heating service in Union, NJ with Max Sr & Paul Schoenwalder Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, A Corp.