by Deborah Percy

Created on: November 02, 2009

Getting the most out of your furnace involves keeping your home comfortable while keeping the heating and repair costs low.

* Use Your Thermostat

A programmable thermostat is ideal and well worth the investment if you do not have one already. If you are at home all the time and able to manually change the settings on a daily basis as necessary then even better! What you want to achieve is different temperatures according to the requirements of the time of day. Typically, for example, a low setting for the day and whilst your are asleep, with a cosy higher setting from dusk until bed time.

The aim is to reduce the amount of fuel used to heat your home when it is empty or in the day time when the out side temperature is higher. Even if you are at home in the day, when you are active you will not want it to be as warm as when you curl up in the evening to watch T.V. or with your favourite book. A difference of about 8 degrees might be the most comfortable.

The U.S. Department of Energy suggest 68 F when at home and 10 to 15 degrees lower when out. Its website states:

"A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. This misconception has been dispelled by years of research and numerous studies... the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save."

* Air Conditioning

If you live in a climate that requires air conditioning as well then combining it with the heating system makes good sense. In the summer cool air can be circulated via the same ducting and by the same fan that the blows warm air around the home in winter.

* Maintenance, Change Filters, Serving

Regular maintenance of the furnace will keep it tuned, that is, working most efficiently. You should change the filters, usually monthly and have it professionally serviced annually. Maintenance will reduce the chance of it breakdown on the coldest night of the year. The HVAC engineer will probably spot any worn parts that need replacing while changing the filter will prevent dust and dirt getting in and doing the dirty on the blower.

* Registers and Ducts

The heating system was designed to have all the registers open and sound ducting, without cracks and leaks.

As ducts age cracks do appear and this reduces the effectiveness of the forced air heating system and can make your furnace work harder to produce

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