Heating Tips

Don’t Sweat It

You’ll stay warm and keep your energy bills down if you follow these simple tips.

• Clean or replace furnace filters once a month or as needed.
• Set your thermostat at 68-70 degrees during the day and 60-62 degrees at night. Setting your thermostat back by 10 degrees can save 15% on your heating costs.
• If you’ll be away from home all day, lower the setting on the thermostat so that you’re not heating an empty house. Consider installing a programmable thermostat that will automatically lower the setting at night when you can stay warm under the covers and during the workday when you’re not at home.
• If possible, install a heat pump. It won’t save you much in the summer, but it will in the winter. Heat pumps are twice as efficient at moderate winter temperatures as resistance heating.
• Keep draperies on the sunny side of the house open during the day to allow sunlight in and closed at night to reduce the chill from cold windows.
• Close the vents in spare bedrooms and other rooms that you do not use. Why pay to heat areas that don’t need it?
• Watch out for too much fireplace draft, which can pull hot air out of your home. “Heat-a-lators” or “inserts” solve this problem. Keep your fireplace damper closed when you’re not using the fireplace.