Improve Energy Efficiency In Your Home This Winter
Winter is upon us here in Northern New Jersey, and soon your heating bills will rise as temperatures continue to fall. The question is how much will they rise?
The answer to that question is “It depends.” If you want to make that bill bump as small as possible, here are 10 of the best ways to do it.
10 ways to make a more efficient home:
- Take advantage of the sun – Leave your curtains and blinds open during the day to absorb radiant heat from the sun, then close them at night to keep that heat in. Choosing better window treatments can help, too.
- Reverse your ceiling fans – It may not seem to make sense to run a fan in the winter, but if the blades are spinning in the right direction, your fan will push rising warm air back down and into your room. Most ceiling fans have a reversal switch to change their spin; see your owner’s manual for details.
- Keep baseboards and vents clean and clear – Airflow is an important and often overlooked part of home comfort and efficiency – make sure the air you paid to heat can get into your living space to keep you warm.
- Check your furnace air filter regularly – A clogged furnace filter will make your furnace overwork to do its job, which means higher bills for you; check it once a month and change it when needed.
- Seal air leaks – Add caulk and weather stripping around windows, doors and other openings to keep the cold air out and the warm air in. Consider adding insulation to attics and crawl spaces, too – it’s one of the best energy efficiency investments you can make.
- Install and use a programmable thermostat – Turning your furnace or boiler down for eight hours a day can reduce your annual heating bill by as much as 10 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.), and the easiest way to do that is with a programmable thermostat. Your energy savings in the first year of use will often be enough to offset the cost of installation.
- Lower your water temperature – Most water heater thermostats are set higher than needed to get the job done in your taps and appliances. The D.O.E. recommends a temperature setting of 120 degrees to balance efficiency and comfort.
- Install low-flow shower heads and aerators – Low-flow shower heads and aerators (the screw-on tips on your faucets) can cut your hot water usage in half without affecting your comfort or water pressure.
- Service your home comfort equipment – Professional maintenance is the key to keeping any equipment running efficiency and reliably: not only will it lower your energy bills, it will also prolong the life of your equipment, prevent potentially costly repairs, and even keep your equipment warrantees in force. The best way to get your heating equipment maintained? Sign up for a Bolkema Service Plan.
- Consider sensible high efficiency equipment upgrades – Even a well-maintained furnace or boiler can’t compete with a modern, high-tech replacement when it comes to keeping you warm for less money. In fact, you could save as much as 30 percent on your annual fuel costs when swap your older heating system for new high efficiency heating equipment – enough to offset the cost of a new heating unit in just a few years.
Save money this winter with high efficiency heating system upgrades and expert heating system service from Bolkema Fuels. Contact us today to learn how!