How You Can Improve Heating Efficiency
You realized you need to improve heating efficiency within your home. The cold winter months are coming and each year the bill seems to be larger than last years. This is very terrifying and very tiresome all at the same time. One of the best ways that you can make this years energy bill a little more livable is to take some steps now to improve heating efficiency within your home. There are several things that you can do, big and small, that can help your home to be more efficient energy wise.
Ways to Improve Your Home Now
There are several things that you can insure about your home for this year�s heating bills. To improve heating efficiency, you’ll want to make sure that this is done yearly or as needed so that you’ll always get the most out of the energy your home burns.
Your HVAC First: The heating, ventilating and cooling system within your home is the largest draw of power. It is also the most common place to find your biggest losses in energy. First of all, take the time to have your system checked annually at the least. This update will insure that it is working at its optimum. Also, make sure that you properly clean the filters in your heating unit. A clogged heating filter will trap air, hot air, from getting to your home. Check with the owners manual for your furnace or other heating system to make sure you are performing the regular maintenance on it.
How’s Your Duct?
Another way to save some money and improve heating efficiency is to make sure that your duct system is working as it should. Make sure that that you seal any leaks that you find as these will allow cold air to enter into the air and therefore circulate throughout your home. Seal these with duct mastic. Check your attic as well. This is a common place to find leaks. Do you have holes that were put in place for plumbing or wiring? Make sure they are sealed off.
The Hot Water Tank. This is another area that you are losing heating energy. You’ll want to make sure that it is an energy efficient model of course. You’ll also want to have it wrapped especially in an unheated area of the house. If you have a tankless model, then you’ll already have an advantage as these tend to use much less energy as they do not need to keep a tank full of water hot.
How can checking your windows improve heating efficiency?
It is as simple as the fact that you’ll lose heat through leaky windows very quickly. This means that your furnace is turning on more often than it needs to compensate for that. So, what can you do? If you are replacing them, make sure to go with at least a double pane and make sure that they are energy efficient. Other things to do include insuring they are tightly sealed and weather stripping closes off any of the leaks and spaces in them.
What about the Heating Itself?
If you are in need of a heating system, then you have the most ability to improve heating efficiency. Simply, you can actually replace the fuel burning furnace that you have with a more energy smart version. Your first choice is to upgrade to a energy efficient model that still burns oil, propane or gas. Yet, you can go a step up from this into a hydronic heating system and heat your home through a liquid mixture that circulates through your home heating it from the ground up. If you are really looking to save some money, go with a geothermal heating system. These access the Earths stored heat supply and enable it to heat your home completely naturally and safely, with not fuels besides the electricity that powers the motor.
To improve energy efficiency in your home, you should analyze what could use a little tweaking or adjustments to make sure that no heat is escaping. You should also consider the fact that by installing a geothermal, solar or other natural powered heating system you will be saving money from month to month, year to year for the next several decades. This is the most effective way to improve heating efficiency.