With the cost of living rising all the time, every little bit counts when it comes to saving money wherever you can. And when it comes to your heating bills, you’d be surprised to learn how a little effort and attention to energy efficiency can turn into some very worthwhile savings.
Here are some tips to get started.
Bring in Sunlight by Keeping Curtains Open
Even though it’s cold outside, the sun is still hot. You can take advantage of this natural source of heat by leaving your drapes pulled back during the daytime.
Close the Chimney Damper and Block Warm Air from Escaping
You may not even realize it, but your fireplace offers a large escape route out of your home for warm air. Unless you take steps to block the air flow when you’re not using the fireplace, that warm air will rise up and out. Make sure the damper is closed tightly.
Another option is to use a chimney balloon, which acts like a plug in the chimney, preventing the escape of hot air (and prevents cold air from entering).
Schedule a Furnace Tune Up
One of your best actions that you can take towards energy efficiency is to commit to regular furnace maintenance. During a furnace tune up, you’ll get components cleaned and inspected.
The filter will also get changed, which can go a long way to letting the warm air travel more efficiently. This helps you save costs not only in running the furnace, but it helps you identify and fix problems before they get larger and more expensive.
Use the ceiling fan when it’s cold.
Although you may only think to turn your ceiling fan on when you’re hot, you should get in the habit of turning it on when it is cold outside.
That warm air circulating will help even out the temperature in your home. Keeping that air flowing means that your furnace won’t have to work as hard. That’s cost savings right there.
Make Windows Air Tight
All those tiny cracks in the sealing around your windows give warm air an escape route. Get out the caulking gun and seal them.
Weather stripping is also an effective measure to keep warm air where it belongs; inside. For extra protection, apply a film over your windows. Glass is by nature porous, meaning that despite your best efforts, some warm air will escape. An easy to install layer of film will prevent that.
Raise Exterior Door Threshold
Remedy the gap between your exterior doors and the threshold by installing a thin strip of adjustable threshold. This will level the space out, making it airtight and energy efficient.
We at Lambert Plumbing and Heating Ltd, are your plumbing and heating experts for all of the seasons in Vancouver, BC. We’d love to hear from you. Call us at (604) 734-0890 today.
