Make Your Home More Energy Efficient This Winter
Each fall, as temperatures begin to drop, homeowners turn their minds to home-heating bills. In addition, what else they can do to reduce those costs. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. Learn how to heat your home more efficiently this winter!
Look for gaps in your home.
You probably know that adding insulation and installing energy-efficient windows will help stop heat exchange and lower your bills. There are lots of other ways air is finding its way into your home. However, by stopping those leaks with quick, easy and inexpensive fixes, you can lower your home-heating costs. Look around doors for gaps in the trim or in the threshold. If you can see light through the cracks, there’s room for your home’s heat to escape. Plug any holes around pipes or ductwork to make your home more air tight.
Improve your damper.
Your chimney damper lets smoke escape when you have a fire burning. Consequently, when the fireplace isn’t in use, it can allow your home’s warm air to escape right up the chimney! In fact, up to 8 percent of a home’s heat can be lost through an open chimney. Over time, dampers can warp and fail to do their job. Consider a top-sealing damper or a chimney balloon to help keep warm air from rising out of the chimney.
Consider zone heating.
Zone heating allows you to focus your home’s heat on the rooms you use most. By installing a fireplace or heating stove in your main living area, you can turn down the thermostat to the rest of the house, so you aren’t wasting money heating rooms you’re not using. For each degree you lower your thermostat by, in the 60 to 70 degree range, you can shave up to 5 percent off your home heating bill.
Use your curtains to your advantage.
Window treatments are usually thought of as a decorative element, but they can play a role in your home’s efficiency. By using heavier curtains or blinds, you can help to keep warm air from escaping your home through your windows. However, when the sun is shining straight onto your windows, open your drapes or blinds to take advantage of the sun’s warm rays.
Replace outdated heating appliances.
Fireplaces and heating stoves can last for decades. However, there have been major advancements in the last 20 years that have allowed fireplaces and heating stoves to become much more energy efficient. Replacing your outdated fireplace or heating stove, or filling an open-hearth fireplace with an efficient fireplace insert, can help you use less fuel and lower your home heating bills.
Have your home-heating appliances serviced.
Clean heating appliances, whether it’s a furnace, heating stove or fireplace insert, heat more efficiently and more safely than dirty ones. Make sure you schedule annual cleaning and maintenance on your heating appliances to make sure they’re running efficiently.
If you are looking for ways to heat your home more efficiently and cut your home heating bills, Chimney Saver Solutions can help! Give us a call today to talk about fireplace maintenance or installation to keep your home warmer for a lower price this winter.
Your chimney damper lets smoke escape when you have a fire burning. Consequently, when the fireplace isn’t in use, it can allow your home’s warm air to escape right up the chimney! In fact, up to 8 percent of a home’s heat can be lost through an open chimney. Over time, dampers can warp and fail to do their job. Consider a top-sealing damper or a chimney balloon to help keep warm air from rising out of the chimney.
Consider zone heating.
Zone heating allows you to focus your home’s heat on the rooms you use most. By installing a fireplace or heating stove in your main living area, you can turn down the thermostat to the rest of the house, so you aren’t wasting money heating rooms you’re not using. For each degree you lower your thermostat by, in the 60 to 70 degree range, you can shave up to 5 percent off your home heating bill.
Use your curtains to your advantage.
Window treatments are usually thought of as a decorative element, but they can play a role in your home’s efficiency. By using heavier curtains or blinds, you can help to keep warm air from escaping your home through your windows. However, when the sun is shining straight onto your windows, open your drapes or blinds to take advantage of the sun’s warm rays.
Replace outdated heating appliances.
Fireplaces and heating stoves can last for decades. However, there have been major advancements in the last 20 years that have allowed fireplaces and heating stoves to become much more energy efficient. Replacing your outdated fireplace or heating stove, or filling an open-hearth fireplace with an efficient fireplace insert, can help you use less fuel and lower your home heating bills.
Have your home-heating appliances serviced.
Clean heating appliances, whether it’s a furnace, heating stove or fireplace insert, heat more efficiently and more safely than dirty ones. Make sure you schedule annual cleaning and maintenance on your heating appliances to make sure they’re running efficiently.
If you are looking for ways to heat your home more efficiently and cut your home heating bills, Chimney Saver Solutions can help! Give us a call today to talk about fireplace maintenance or installation to keep your home warmer for a lower price this winter.
Window treatments are usually thought of as a decorative element, but they can play a role in your home’s efficiency. By using heavier curtains or blinds, you can help to keep warm air from escaping your home through your windows. However, when the sun is shining straight onto your windows, open your drapes or blinds to take advantage of the sun’s warm rays.
Replace outdated heating appliances.
Fireplaces and heating stoves can last for decades. However, there have been major advancements in the last 20 years that have allowed fireplaces and heating stoves to become much more energy efficient. Replacing your outdated fireplace or heating stove, or filling an open-hearth fireplace with an efficient fireplace insert, can help you use less fuel and lower your home heating bills.
Have your home-heating appliances serviced.
Clean heating appliances, whether it’s a furnace, heating stove or fireplace insert, heat more efficiently and more safely than dirty ones. Make sure you schedule annual cleaning and maintenance on your heating appliances to make sure they’re running efficiently.
If you are looking for ways to heat your home more efficiently and cut your home heating bills, Chimney Saver Solutions can help! Give us a call today to talk about fireplace maintenance or installation to keep your home warmer for a lower price this winter.
Clean heating appliances, whether it’s a furnace, heating stove or fireplace insert, heat more efficiently and more safely than dirty ones. Make sure you schedule annual cleaning and maintenance on your heating appliances to make sure they’re running efficiently.
If you are looking for ways to heat your home more efficiently and cut your home heating bills, Chimney Saver Solutions can help! Give us a call today to talk about fireplace maintenance or installation to keep your home warmer for a lower price this winter.
