Home heating takes up about 50% of all of your energy bills if you live just about anywhere in the Midwest. That adds up to a lot of money over the course of a full year! Now that we are in the middle of winter, it’s vital to do what you can to decrease that cost, especially when you consider how difficult 2020 has been for many of us financially. The pros at Haisma want to help you decrease your bills and we have some simple and cheap tips to decrease your heating costs!
Keep Heat In
Your heater uses a lot of energy because it needs a lot of energy to heat an entire home or apartment. It’s not an easy task. One of the tough parts about it is that heat has a tendency to dissipate and leak out of your home. That heat loss needs constant replacement throughout the winter. If you can work to retain a great percentage of the heat you are spending money to generate, then you could save a lot over the long run.
The number one way to do this is with weatherstripping. Most home heat loss occurs at a few very specific points. Places like underneath your doors or through the cracks in your windows are highly susceptible to heat loss because they are so close to the outside world. That is where weatherstripping comes in. Weatherstripping is cheap, easy to install, and widely available at your local hardware store. There are various types, but essentially they provide insulation and close up gaps where heat could leak out. It’s vital that you do this before the winter season gets fully underway to maximize long-term savings.
Avoid Common Heating Mistakes
There are a few ways homeowners unintentionally make their heating system less efficient. If you’re accidentally doing these things, fixing that behavior can lead to direct savings. Here are a few of the most common ones.
Never Maintaining Your System
Maintenance is an investment in the long-term future of your HVAC units. It’s important because you can increase the lifespan of your unit by years and prevent damage that could be expensive to repair. Now is the perfect time to get some annual maintenance for your furnace since we have many more cold days ahead as 2021 gets underway.
Not Utilizing a Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats are much more attainable these days. If you don’t have one, a smart thermostat is a great holiday gift that can benefit the entire family. It makes your life more convenient and makes your home more comfortable. It’s small, but it’s refreshing when you don’t have to immediately rush to your thermostat when you get home because your home feels stuffy or freezing cold.
Additionally, smart thermostats translate to direct savings for families. They are a modest investment of about $100 that will pay for itself in a matter of months. With your thermostat working to make your home heating more efficient it will make a difference in your monthly bills and you won’t regret the installation.
If you need heating or furnace repairs or an installation this winter, the pros at Haisma would love to help. Simply fill out an online contact form or call us at (616) 319-2121 to schedule a service appointment!
