The cold weather is upon us. It's time to prepare for an increase in our energy bills and an increase in our budgeting anxiety. Is there anything we can do to help lessen the burden?
Short of remodeling or new construction is there anything, economical, you can do to help ease the dependency on heating fuel this winter season? Yes there is; without spending a great deal of money you should be able to reduce your energy obligation considerably. Following are a few ideas to consider.
10) CLEAN REGISTERS: It may not seem like it and you may not even realize it, but a dirty register, right at the point it delivers heat to a room, can hamper the delivery of good, clean, warm air. Remove the register grill, vacuum inside the vent, everywhere you can reach, especially the grates, and replace the grill. This may have to be done several times a year.
9) WRAP FURNACE: Not generally considered is the heat loss around the body of a furnace. Newer furnaces are nearly exempt but those just a few years old may have a problem. To test, simply touch the sidewall of your furnace. If it is warm, you are losing heat before it is delivered to the rooms needing it. Wrap your furnace in wall insulation or you can purchase furnace wrap, which is the same thing, it just looks better.
8) SHUT DOWN UNUSED ROOMS: Depending upon your type of heat delivery you will have different methods to do this. For the typical forced air system, simply close the register in rooms that will not be used through the cold months, as tight as possible. Even better, you can place a piece of insulation inside the vent, then close the register. This will prevent the heat from going to a place you really don't need it.
7) CHANGE FURNACE FILTER: Always a good tip is to change the furnace filter at the beginning of the cold season, perhaps once in the middle and one more time toward the end. You may get away with just cleaning the filter. Check it close for embedded dirt and debris. A clean filter allows for smoother, unobstructed flow of warm air to the points of delivery.
6) FULLY OPEN REGISTERS: In the rooms you do want heat to be delivered, make sure the registers are fully open. If the heat meets with resistance as the furnace is trying to deliver it, the heat may just lie dormant in the duct work. Give the warm air as much room as possible, keep all in use registers, fully open.
5) INSULATE OUTSIDE WALL OUTLETS/SWITCHES: A simple step to take is to purchase a couple of the pre-made weathering packets for switch plates and outlets. Concentrate on the outside walls, that's where the cold air will infiltrate. Simply remove the cover plate, remove one of the precut insulation pads, insert around the switch or plug in and replace the cover plate. You will be surprised what this one can do for you.
4) CAULK / WEATHERSTRIP: The older the home the more this one is recommended. But, even on new homes you stand to gain a great deal. To discover if you even have a problem you could hold a lit candle to the window or door and slowly move it around the perimeter watching the flame for interruption. If the flame goes out or if it is dramatically blown around, you probably have a direct path to the outside. Purchase a good silicone caulk and apply a small bead all the way around the door or window. Use the candle test one more time to see if your efforts have worked.
3) INSULATE EXPOSED DUCTWORK: Go in the basement and see just how the heat is delivered to the various areas of the house. If, as is typically the case, the ductwork is visible, up against the ceiling, you may want to consider wrapping it. There is an insulating wrap made especially for duct work. Use duct tape to seal all ductwork seams prior to applying the insulation. Apply the insulation then use the duct tape again to connect all insulation seams.
2) PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT: Perhaps the most expensive, but possibly the most beneficial, improvement would be to install a programmable thermostat. Document your schedule for being home and being out of the house. Program the thermostat to back down when you are not going to be home and to ramp up again just before you get home. You can do the same thing for night time, when you are sleeping.
1) LOWER THERMOSTAT TO 68: Probably the one best things you could ever do is the one thing people have been telling us for years; turn your thermostat down. Every degree of adjustment equates to approximately 3% to 5% of your heating fuel use. Find the lowest temperature you can be comfortable at and adjust your thermostat down to that number. If things get really frigid and you just can't take it, you can always increase the heat for short periods of time.
No matter what, the fuel we use for heating our home will probably remain one of our largest utility expenses. Whatever we can do to lower our dependency on heating fuel will improve our expenses. Maybe you can save yourself enough this season to convince you to take a good hard look at the hi-efficiency furnace you've been wanting. There have been a lot of improvements in heating equipment and a new furnace would probably equal in savings, as much as all of the above tips combined.