Tips from Heating Contractor on Better Efficiency in a Home
How to Improve Heating Efficiency in Your Home
Our post today is slightly out of the norm and covers tips from our heating contractor on how to make your home more energy-efficient.
It’s all too easy to get shocked upon receiving a bigger than normal energy bill during the cold winter months. However, there are some steps you can try to help keep those costs down to improve heating efficiency. Although some may require the assistance of a professional heating contractor, many others can be easily done by an enthusiastic DIY homeowner.
Your home’s heating, ventilation, and cooling system, or HVAC for short, is the most obvious place to start, as this is often the largest power draw and the greatest source of energy loss too. Get your HVAC system serviced regularly and make sure to change the filters on it. A dirty filter can significantly decrease heating efficiency, and it only costs a few dollars and 5 minutes to replace.
Sealing your duct system is another easy way to save energy. A leaky duct system will take in unheated air and blow it into your home. Seal any leaks with duct mastic, and not normal duct tape. If you have an attic, this too is a common source of drafts, so make sure you seal the air spaces in the attic. When left open, any holes or tunnels used for plumbing or wiring will cause cold air to move in the walls throughout the house.
A hot water heater is another major energy consumer, and most are found to be inefficient. A tank-style hot water heater must be wrapped when placed in an unheated area of the house. Tankless, on-demand hot water heaters will greatly improve heating efficiency, as they don’t have to constantly heat large volumes of water.
Windows are another source of heat loss. Ideally, windows need to be positioned to let in the sun. Double-paned windows will work very efficiently, both in summer and wintertime. So you need to make sure they are tightly sealed, and weather-stripping is used in the cool months to seal any open spaces.
That concludes our blog for today, if you are in the market for a heating contractor, and are based in the Littleton, CO area, please do not hesitate to call Duffey's Heating & Air Conditioning today at (303) 972-0263.
