Improve Your Energy Efficiency This Winter!
With winter right around the corner, it’s time to think about keeping your home warm for yourself and your family. And there are ways you all can stay nice and toasty while keeping your energy costs down. Getting your home ready for the colder weather is a lot easier than you think. There are many ways to winterize your home to stay cozy for comfort and energy savings.
Get a Heating System Inspection and Tune-Up
Getting a heating system inspection and tune-up are both part of proper maintenance for your home’s heating system. During both, gas burners and heating elements are assessed. Your gas furnace’s heat exchanger will be inspected also. This can help prevent dangerous carbon monoxide. The blower motor and electrical components of the heating system will also be inspected. A heating system and tune-up will keep it running more efficiently. The heating system won’t have to work so hard to warm your home. This equates to keeping more money in your pocket.
Close All of the Vents
While it’s okay to keep the homes’ vents open during the spring and summer, they should be closed during the winter months. This includes closing all of the foundation vents, too. Doing this will keep the warmer air inside the home. As soon as the winter rolls in, close all of the vents in your home.
Do an Inspection of the Attic and Insulation
Attics are well known to lose heat in the home as it rises. Your attic needs to well-insulated to prevent the warm air from escaping your home through the attic. If your attic isn’t insulated properly, you’re just going to wind up losing energy efficiency. Don’t skimp on having your attic insulated. Just do it. An attic’s insulation plays a major role in keeping your home both warm and energy-efficient during the wintertime. And don’t forget about other areas of the home, too. Walls and crawl spaces also need to be properly insulated.
Seal Up Windows and Doors
Improperly fitted doors and windows just let the warm air in your home escape. They need to be properly sealed and in good condition. If they are not, there’s a big compromise in your home’s energy efficiency. Your heating system will just have to use more energy to replace the escaped warm air with more warm air. Use weather stripping and caulking to seal up all leaks from windows and doors. Even if you have to pay to get it done; it’s worth it in the long run.
Upgrade Your Existing Heating System
It just may be worth investing in a new heating system to keep your home warm and energy-efficient in the winter, especially if your system is over 10 years old. Manufacturers keep upgrading and improving the energy efficiency of their heating system. Look for one that is Energy Star Certified.
