Running a heating system during our cold winters can run up large bills, but often those utility bills are larger than they need to be. There are many ways to accidentally waste power with your home heating system. We have four tips to help you lower your heating costs this year. Our team is always ready to help when you need assistance with your heating in Hillsboro, OH.
1. Schedule maintenance for your heating system in the fall
This is the #1 way to keep heating bills under control. When you arrange for our technicians to give your heater a full tune-up and inspection in the fall, you’ll head into the winter with a heater that operates at its peak efficiency. Without maintenance, a heater will decline each year and raise your bills. You may end up paying 25% for your home heat after only a few years. Maintenance has numerous other benefits, such as saving you money on repairs and ensuring a long service life for your heater.
2. Maintain steady lower temperatures on the thermostat
When we say lower, we don’t mean to put the thermostat so low that everyone is shivering. But too often people shove the thermostat up much higher than necessary, usually because they think it will heat the home faster. It doesn’t work that way: instead, the heater will just run for longer. Pushing the thermostat up and down based on momentary comfort is also a money-waster, since it forces the heater to keep turning back on, which is when it consumes the most power. We recommend you keep the thermostat set to 68°F during the day when people are home, and then lower the setting by 8°–10°F in the evening or when the house is empty.
3. Change the air filter regularly
This is another easy mistake for people to make: forgetting about the HVAC system’s air filter. The filter for your furnace/heat pump isn’t there to improve air quality but to protect the internal components of the HVAC system. It will clog up after one to three months and need to be replaced. If left in place, it will force the heater to work harder to move air through the system and lead to artificially inflated costs. A clogged air filter creates many other problems as well, so get into the habit of making these routine changes.
4. Leave the heater on when you go on vacation
This sounds like a terrible way to save energy, but hear us out. If you’re going to leave your house for a few days to take a trip, don’t completely shut off the heating system. Instead, set the thermostat to around 55°F. The heater won’t run often, but it will keep the house from becoming too cold. When you come back, it will take far less energy to warm the home up, and this saves more than shutting the heater off entirely. (Plus, this is a great way to stop pipes from freezing.)
We have other ways to help you enjoy lower-cost cooling. Just talk to us today if you’ve got a heater that seems to cost far too much to run.
Shafer Heating & Cooling, LLC: You are just one call away from the comfort and savings you deserve!