Seven Tips to Slash Soaring Home Heating Bills
(ARA) - The Department of Energy states natural gas prices will leap up to 71 percent this fall and winter, due to damage caused by the storm. This translates into a $600 jump in home heating for most homeowners, according to the Georgia Public Service Commission. Now is the time to give your home a “check-up”. Here are six tips from the Comfort Institute to make your home an energy sipper instead of a gas guzzler!
1. Have your duct system tested for air leaks. Many
assume that windows and doors are the major cause of a home’s
energy wasting air leaks. But according to recent research by
the Department of Energy (DOE), gaps, joints and disconnections
in the typical home’s duct system are much more significant. The
DOE states that the typical duct system loses 25 to 40 percent
of the energy put out by the central furnace or heat pump.
Authorities recommend having a heating contractor test for leaks
and then seal them with a brushed on fiber-reinforced
elastomeric sealant. Duct tape usually dries out and fails. It
turns out duct tape is great for many things, but sealing ducts
isn’t one of them!
2. Ask your contractor
to perform an Infiltrometer “blower door” test. The blower door
is a computerized instrument originally invented by the
Department of Energy. It pinpoints where your home’s worst air
leaks are, such as duct leaks, and also measures how leaky the
overall house is. Most homes have the equivalent of an open
window in combined air leaks. Many heating contractors offer an
Infiltrometer test as part of a “Whole House Health & Comfort
Checkup” that also checks insulation levels and overall duct
performance.
3. Close your fireplace damper. Did you remember to close
it last time you used the fireplace? Shut it now or waste
precious warm air all winter long!
4. Replace your furnace or heat pump air filter. Most
systems need this done every month to ensure safe and efficient
operation. Keep forgetting to do it? Ask your contractor for
information on an extended surface area whole house air filter
that only needs to be replaced once a year. It also does a far
better job of keeping your equipment and the air in your home
clean.
5. Have your heating system cleaned and tuned. A
pre-season tune up is a great investment. It reduces the chances
of breakdowns on cold winter nights, improves safety, and more
than pays for itself through more energy efficient operation.
6. Install a programmable set-back thermostat. Turning
down the thermostat 8 degrees for 8 hours a day will save 8
percent on home heating costs. An easy way to take advantage of
these savings is to lower the thermostat temperature while away
from home or sleeping. Ask your heating contractor about new
models which are much easier to program.
7. Consider replacing your old furnace or heat pump. Just
like a car, heating and cooling equipment doesn’t last forever.
Is your system more than 12 years old? Planning to stay in your
home more than a few years? Many authorities recommend replacing
it before it fails permanently. A new system is safer, improves
comfort, is more dependable and creates less air pollution. New
units pay for themselves over time as they are up to twice as
energy efficient. However, government and utility research has
found that over 90 percent of newly installed high efficiency
systems have energy wasting mistakes.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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