With the heart of Winter about to descend on Connecticut, it’s important to keep as much heat in your home as possible. Wintertime energy spikes are driven by an increase in heating, which is the single largest user of energy in a home. All hope isn’t lost though, there are a number of simple and easy steps that you take now in order to help conserve energy, lower your bills, and help keep you warm this winter.
- Insulate spaces that aren’t already insulated This may include any crawl spaces or attics as they are a hotspot for heat loss. Installing some standard big box store fiberglass insulation can go a long way in keeping more heat in your home. Bonus: it’s affordable and easy to install.
- Check your air filters. Your air filters should be changed on a regular basis. We recommend changing them at a minimum in the late Fall before you start using your heat regularly this winter, and mid-Spring once you stop using your HVAC regularly. Replacing your filters will improve both air quality and the energy efficiency of your system.
- Do your routine HVAC maintenance. We may have mentioned this a time or two in other blogs, but it’s that important. Hiring a technician to clean and inspect your HVAC system will help ensure that it is working at full efficiency.
- Give your hot water heater a blanket. Consider insulating your hot water heater with a specialized wrap to reduce the energy it uses. This will help the water stay warmer for a longer period of time.
- Insulate your hot water pipes. Using water pipe foam insulation will help the pipes keep the water hotter and for a longer period of time. Bonus: It’s cheap and easy to install.
- Don’t block your heat source. If you have rugs, furniture, curtains, etc. that are blocking radiators, baseboard heat, or vents – move them so that the heat can flow unobstructed. You want to heat the room, and yourself, and not your furniture.
- Flip the switch on your ceiling fans. If you reverse the direction of your ceiling fan, it will create and downdraft which will force the warm air back down into the room.
- Grab the duct tape. Seal all duct joints and seams with duct tape or another specialized tape to prevent your warm air from leaking out before it gets to its destination.
- Close your fireplace damper. Your chimney provides a direct routine to the cold outdoor air. Make sure your damper is fully closed. If you plan to use your chimney, make sure you have it cleaned first.
With over 70% of your household energy consumption spent on heating your home, even several small changes can add up to saving some serious dollars. If you think your HVAC isn’t running properly or needs a little TLC, give us a call.
