Discovering how to pay less on your energy bills can feel a bit like scoring a touchdown during the Super Bowl. Okay, maybe not that great, but it can feel as good as your team scoring a touchdown, right? Or maybe it can feel as good as the laughter you’ll experience during this year’s Doritos or Snickers commercial during The Big Game.
Anyway, how can you actually achieve this? After all, everyone wants to pay less on their energy bills—is there some big secret on how to do so? It’s not a secret at all! The easiest way to achieve this is by using your heater as efficiently as possible. Read on to learn how!
Use a Programmable Thermostat
Are you still using a manual slider thermostat to control your HVAC systems? It’s not that these don’t work, but they don’t exactly work well. The problem is, they can be off by a few degrees. So that means your heater may have already reached your desired temperature, but the thermostat has no way to tell it that, and therefore the heater keeps running, longer than it needs to. This means you’re using (and paying for) more energy than you actually should be.
With a programmable thermostat, you’ll have more precision. Want to take it even one step further? Use a smart or WiFi thermostat! These units “learn” from your heating and cooling preferences and adjust themselves accordingly, for the most precise temperature control you can get.
Lower the Temperature
Speaking of temperature control, do you really need your home to be at 74° on a cold winter day? Chances are, probably not. Most people are actually comfortable setting their thermostats around 68°F during the day, and sometimes even lower at night.
Again, this means your heater won’t run as long—it won’t have to in order to reach the desired temperature on the thermostat! This means it will work—wait for it—more efficiently!
Take Advantage of Other Heat Sources
Your furnace is tasked with keeping you warm, but you’ll have an easier time lowering the temperature and using the system more efficiently if you look at how you can use other heat sources in your home. Take sunlight, for instance! Do you have south-facing windows in your home? Open up the curtains and blinds and let that sunlight in. The ambient warmth will make you feel a lot better—and will help your home warm up even faster.
Also, if you’re planning on cooking using your oven, when you’re done, leave the oven door cracked open as it cools. This helps distribute some additional heat into your living space. Don’t follow this tip if you have curious pets or small children who don’t understand to not touch the appliance, however.
Improve Your Insulation
Is your home properly insulated? If you’re unsure of the answer to this question, it’s worth giving our team a call. We can add the right insulation to your home to make sure heat stays in during the winter, and out during the summer. We can also check your ductwork to see if it needs professional sealing or repair. You can actually lose up to 30% of the conditioned air that you’re paying for anyway through ductwork breaches. Contact us today to learn more!
Contact Dayco Systems for quality heating services in Acworth, GA and beyond!
