Is your home heating bill giving you the chills? Warm up with these surefire tips designed to slash heating costs this winter.

• Install a programmable thermostat: It’s easy to forget to turn down the temperature when you leave home each day, but with a programmable thermostat, there’s no need to remember. Use this inexpensive investment to program setback periods while you’re away or sleeping without sacrificing comfort.
• Replace old weatherstripping: Around 10 percent of your home’s heat loss occurs through windows and doors. This percentage increases if the weatherstripping isn’t doing its job. Cut down on drafts and lower your home heating bill by replacing the weatherstripping, an inexpensive, easy task you can complete yourself.
• Change the filter regularly: A blocked furnace filter restricts airflow and makes the equipment work harder. Check the filter every one to three months and change it when it appears clogged with dirt. This simple step can help keep your home heating bill under control.
• Install gaskets behind electrical outlets: A foam gasket helps prevent drafts that come in behind outlets. This tip is only effective on outlets located on exterior walls.
• Add insulation to the attic: It’s a complete waste for heat to rise into the attic. Help keep warm air inside by laying down a thick layer of insulation all across the attic floor. Remember to keep the soffit vents uncovered. Also, don’t forget to insulate the attic hatch.
• Use exhaust fans only as needed: While spot ventilation in the kitchen and bathroom is important for drawing pollutants outside, don’t use the fans when they’re not really needed. Running exhaust fans more than necessary not only increases electrical consumption, but it also depressurizes your home, encouraging outdoor air to seep in and undermining your furnace’s hard work.
• Schedule annual preventative maintenance: Every fall, ask an HVAC professional to tune-up your furnace. Various aspects of the inspection, such as lubricating moving parts, reduce energy consumption and lower your heating bills.

For more tips to save energy and lower your home heating bill this winter, please contact Powers Heating and Air in Peachtree City today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

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