When the winter winds start howling around your home and bringing down the temperatures, you need to think about what you can do to keep your home snug and cozy. As you reach for that thermostat, however, take a moment to make sure that you are doing things correctly. A home’s heating system is a complicated mechanism, and heating your home effectively is something that requires a certain amount of knowledge. Make sure that you know these four common mistakes regarding home heating and how you can avoid them!
1. Turning the Thermostat Up to High for More Rapid Heating
When you get home in the evening, you may find that a chilly house is just unbearable. This can make it very tempting to simply turn the thermostat up as high as it will go in order to heat the house faster. However, the fact is that doing this will in fact not heat your home faster. Instead, it will simply put resources into heating your home up to a certain level, resources that are wasted if you turn it off halfway through. Instead of doing this, consider a programmable thermostat, one that will start to heat the house half an hour before you get home.
2. Ignoring Drafts
Your home should be as snug as you can make it, and that means that drafts are a serious issue. It is very easy to become used to drafts. They may create pockets of cold air in your home that you tend to avoid whether consciously or subconsciously, but you may think that it is fine if you just bundle up. The problem is that drafts represent a place where cold air enters and warm air leaves. A serious draft can send your bills sky-rocketing, so check out your drafts and deal with them as soon as you can.
3. Not Using Your Drapes
In the winter, you will be startled at the kind of difference that the right curtains can make. During the winter months, the gauze curtains might be nice, but switch them out for heavier drapes. Drapes can be used to trap heat for you. During the day, when the sun is shining, leave the drapes open so that the light gets in and warms your home. When the night starts to close in, close the drapes as well. Warmth can easily leave your home through the window glass, and the drapes give you an extra layer of protection.
4. Overworking Your Furnace
Furnaces have limits, and if yours is one of the older ones, you need to be especially careful. For example, if you notice that you are turning your heat up to 72 degrees but the furnace is really only getting up to 68 degrees, do not turn your heater up even higher to compensate. This is a sign that something is affecting your furance, whether it needs a repair or a complete replacement. Your furnace should be responsive, so pay attention when it is not.
Take a moment to think about your home heating situation. There are many places where it can go wrong and cost you money, so be alert and take care of your heating system. Be aware of what is going on, and take action as soon as you notice an issue. This is something that can make a big difference to your bills and your comfort!
Charlie Teschner started MESA Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling in 1982. Charlie has a journeyman and master plumber’s license. He was raised with a strong work ethic and he now applies those values to tasks such as Longmont heating repair.