During the winter, your furnace may be running constantly, which increases your heating bills rapidly. If you have tried everything, but your heating bills are still too high, see if you are making one of these three common mistakes when heating your home.
1. Forcing Zoned Heating
Zoned heating is a great way to save money on heating costs because it allows you to only heat the rooms you are using. To benefit from zoned heating, however, you need a furnace with zoned heating as a feature. If your furnace doesn't have zoned heating, you may try to mimic it by closing vents to certain rooms. However, this does more harm than good. For starters, it puts more stress on the system and vents as the same amount of air is forced through fewer vents. Another problem is that the cold room doesn't stay cold. Warm air from your living space is sucked inside, creating cold drafts. If you don't have zoned heating, keep all your vents open.
2. Your Curtains Are Just for Show
Curtains are great for privacy and for preventing the sun from shining in your house during the summer. However, if you want to improve the heating efficiency in your home, you should consider insulated curtains. During the day, if it is sunny, keep the curtains open to allow the sun to enter. When it isn't sunny or at night, keep the curtains closed. The insulation prevents some of the heat from touching the window and becoming cold. As a boost, during the summer, you can use them to keep the hot sun out of your home during the day.
3. You Haven't Had Your Ducts Maintained
You probably have your furnace maintained occasionally or when problems arise, but if you haven't had your ducts maintained, you are only doing half the job. About 20 to 30 percent of the air from your furnace escapes while traveling through the ducts because of holes and gaps. A maintenance technician can repair these for you. Also, ask about insulation. If ducts travel through non-living areas like basements, attics, crawlspaces, etc. it is a good idea to have them insulated, so the air inside doesn't cool while traveling through these cold spaces.
Heating your home can become expensive, especially if you are making one or all of these common mistakes. If you would like more information about heating repair or if you think your system needs repairs, contact a heating technician in your area today.
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