Preparing Your Home for the Cold

Now that Christmas has come and gone, winter will soon be hitting with full force. Heating systems everywhere will be used, but not all of them will be efficient. Check out our blog today to learn of simple ways to keep your heating system tuned up, which will save you a ton of money over the season!

While most heating systems do a good job at keeping your home nice and toasty, it will do you no good if that heat is escaping to the outdoors, or worse, the cold air from outside is creeping in. Before the weather turns for the worse, be sure to check out your doors and windows for any air leaks. If you cannot tell, light a candle and place it near the door or window—the flame will blow away from the direction of the draft. Be sure to plug those holes immediately, or better yet, install new weatherstripping all around to assert that you will be protected this winter.

Another simple way to keep the heat in is to install a door sweep to all exterior doors. These simple and cheap contraptions help to eliminate draft coming into the home, saving you money on heating costs in the long run.
In addition, set your household fans to the opposite direction (clockwise) and run them throughout the day to keep your house warm. Instead of pushing cool air down, setting your fan this way will cause it to push cool air up, and warm air down, effectively warming the room.

Finally, one of the simplest ways to save on heating costs this winter is to set your thermostat manually, and leave it there. Thermostats that adjust on their own are convenient, however, manually setting your thermostat allow you to capitalize on energy savings by adjusting it one temperature for the day, and one for the night. Try to adjust your thermostat lower during the night, since you will be in bed anyway and will not need your house to be as warm as you would have it during the day. This difference allows you to save energy on heat, which can save you dollars every step of the way.

Most of us do not like the cold, but all of us love saving money on heating bills. Follow these simple steps, and we guarantee that you will be reaping in the benefits come spring!