Winter heating is crucial in the Hanover area as temperatures drop below freezing. In order to maintain a comfortable climate inside your home, you need a heating system that works properly without breaking the bank. Here we explore a variety of tips, tricks, and services designed to help keep your system more efficient while keeping your heating bills within an affordable range.
1. Close Doors and Windows
Keeping the heat in and the cold out is imperative in regulating the temperature inside your home. Make sure all windows and doors are shut tight and seal any that allow cold drafts to come in. Even a single open window can make your furnace work harder to warm the house.
2. Use Window Coverings
Believe it or not, curtains and blinds can make a noticeable difference in your heating system’s efficiency. Be sure to draw the shades when the sun goes down, blocking out cold that can seep through the windows. During the day when the sun is shining into your home, open the shades and let the sun warm your space.
3. Utilize Your Ceiling Fans
Once the weather turns chilly, you need to flip the switch on your ceiling fans. Changing your ceiling fans to turn in a clockwise direction helps create an updraft, moving cold air that has risen to the ceiling and mixing it with the cold air down below. This helps keep the area you occupy at a more comfortable temperature without creating a breeze that could cause a chill.
4. Dress in Layers
You can keep the thermostat set to a lower temperature and save money on heating by wearing extra layers when lounging around the house. Wear a warm, snuggly sweater and long pants, and don’t forget the fuzzy socks. Grab a blanket for extra warmth while you relax on the sofa.
5. Schedule Professional Duct Cleaning
Dust and debris buildup inside your heating system’s ductwork can cause insufficient heating. Our top-notch crew of technicians offers preventative duct cleaning services to remove these contaminants, leaving a clear path for hot air to travel. We recommend scheduling duct cleaning every three to five years to stay ahead of the debris and prevent blockages that could hinder airflow.
We clean your air ducts using a high-powered vacuum that we attach to your vents to suck dust and dirt out of the ducts. We also use compressed air to force more stubborn debris out of the ducts, sending these particles to the vacuums.
6. Consider Duct Repair and Sealing
Your ductwork is crucial for transporting hot air throughout the house. Over time, the structural integrity of your air ducts may weaken, causing holes or gaps. If you’re fighting against the furnace to heat your home, you may need a professional to look over your ductwork system and make repairs. Even small holes allow heat to escape before it reaches the vents, causing your system to work harder and longer to get your home up to an ideal temperature.
Duct sealing is also helpful to eliminate small spaces where hot air may escape. Duct sealing is much easier than repair and can be done for small holes and loose connections.
7. Schedule Annual Maintenance
Heating maintenance is essential to keep your system efficient and reliable and should be scheduled each year for maximum benefits. We offer comprehensive maintenance services, helping minimize your risk of unexpected breakdowns while allowing your system to operate without added stress that can cause your utility bills to skyrocket.
Maintenance includes a visual inspection, tuning of certain parts, and testing the system for proper function. Our skilled technicians look for signs of excessive wear and tear that can cause a problem in the system, allowing us to make repairs before winter sets in. We also clean out the inside of your furnace to remove dust and debris and lubricate moving parts to prevent damage from friction. During the test run, our technicians look for proper airflow and ensure there are no strange sounds or unusual odors.
Not only does routine maintenance help with energy efficiency, it also lowers your risk of system failure in the middle of winter and adds seasons to the lifespan of your heating system.
8. Try Zoned Heating
Zoned heating allows you to control different parts of your home through separate thermostats. This means that you can keep the temperature lower in areas you use less often while maintaining warm and cozy comfort in other areas. Zoned heating utilizes dampers in the air ducts that respond to changes in the designated thermostats. This may help you curb heating costs by only heating the rooms you need to keep warm.
9. Switch to a Programmable Thermostat
With a programmable thermostat, you can program settings to match your schedule or routine. For example, you may wish to lower the temperature in your home when you go to bed at night. Using a programmable thermostat, you can set the device to raise the temperature just before you rise in the morning. Similarly, you can use the program function to use less heat when you are away at work during the day and schedule a time for the temperature to rise so that you can come home to a comfortable space.
10. Install a New Furnace
If you have an aging furnace, it may be time to consider having it replaced. Most heating systems give you 10-20 years of efficient heating before you start seeing an increase in energy use. When your system reaches this age, talk with our technicians to see if replacement is best.
You may also want to consider replacing your furnace if your home’s size or layout has changed. If you’ve added rooms or space to your home since your last furnace purchase, it may not be able to keep up with the heating demands of your additional area.
11. Swap Your Furnace For a Heat Pump
Heat pumps work by removing cold air from inside your home and replacing it with hot air pulled from the ground or warmth created during the system’s operation. Heat pumps are more environmentally friendly than traditional furnaces and can save you money on utilities by using natural hot air rather than gas or a heating element.
As an added bonus, heat pumps provide air conditioning as well, allowing you to upgrade both your heating and your cooling systems with a single new setup.
Top Heating Specialists in Hanover
Our top priority at Beltway Air Conditioning, Heating, & Plumbing is helping our customers stay comfortable inside their homes. We provide a variety of heating and cooling services to help keep your system reliable, efficient, and safe throughout the year. Count on us for all your furnace repair and air conditioner repair needs, replacement services, and maintenance and tune-ups. Additionally, we offer heat pump and ductless mini-split services to help boost the comfort of your home. We also offer duct cleaning, indoor air quality services, and a long list of home plumbing services. Count on us to keep your home comfortable and convenient and we’ll work diligently to give you the best service in the region.
