For many, wintertime is a great relief from the heat of summer. And the feel of crisp, cool air to welcome the holidays is usually welcome. But no one likes that chill inside their home when the heater goes out. So here are 7 tips to heat your home this winter.
This post is sponsored by American Standard Heating and Air Conditioning
1. Shut the Front Door
It makes sense that leaving a door open will make the inside of your home less comfortable. When it’s warm inside and cold outside an open door is creating an enormous cold draft that influences how hot or cold you feel.
What many people do not realize is the fact that the heat that escapes while a door is open must be replaced. Your home’s thermostat will continue to call for heat from the furnace if it senses that the inside air temperature is below the target temperature you have set.
During the winter, avoid leaving your exterior doors open for extended periods. This will make you less comfortable and make your furnace work harder to keep you warm.
You are paying for every BTU of heat that your furnace generates so limiting the amount of time exterior doors are left open will not only keep you more comfortable… it will also keep your utility bill in check.
2. Take Advantage of Solar Heat Gain
Solar heat gain can be a negative during the summer but in the wintertime, it can help heat your home for free. During daylight hours, keep the blinds or drapes on south-facing windows open to absorb as much of the sun’s energy as possible.
Once the sun goes down, reverse the process, and close the window treatments. This will help trap the heat inside and add a layer of insulation from the colder temperatures outside.
Taking advantage of this passive “solar heat gain” takes a little attention and effort on your part. But it will make your home more comfortable while it helps reduce your utility bills.
3. Use Ceiling Fans Year-Round
You probably think about your ceiling fans as a warm weather appliance. When it’s hot outside, the artificial breeze they create can help you feel cooler. But used properly a ceiling fan can improve your comfort in the winter too.
By simply reversing the direction of the fan you can help circulate the rising warm air around the room rather than letting it hover near the ceiling. For wintertime use the fan should be spinning clockwise when you look up at it from the ground.
Just remember to turn the fan off when no one’s in the room. After all, fans don’t change the room’s temperature — just how you feel.
4. Maintain Your HVAC
Because it’s out-of-sight it’s easy to forget the maintenance on your heating and cooling system…until it isn’t working. But, like any other mechanical component of your home, a little maintenance can make a world of difference.
Forced air heating systems and furnaces thrive on the exchange of air that goes through them. If you regularly change the air filter on your unit, you are doing two things. First, you are keeping the components of the system clean by keeping the air clean. And two-you’re reducing the effort your system needs to use to move the air.
Keeping the unit clean will add years to its life expectancy and improve the indoor air quality in your home. Reducing the effort necessary for the system to move air will make it more efficient which translates to lower utility bills for you.
5. Seal Your Home’s Envelope
Cracks or gaps around doors or windows can let in chilly drafts. That affects your comfort and your energy usage. Fortunately, sealing up those gaps is an easy inexpensive process.
First, search for drafts and look for light sneaking through holes. Examine doors, windows, basements, and attics. Once you’ve identified the leaks, fill them in. If the opening is more than one-quarter-inch wide and one-half-inch deep, seal it with a spray foam material or backer rod before using caulk.
Be sure to use a caulk or sealant that will remain flexible once dry. Otherwise the sealant will crack as materials expand and contract, leaving you to replace it within a season or two. Fill each crack or gap with a continuous bead of caulk — no stopping and starting — and smooth it out with your fingertip.
6. Schedule a Seasonal Inspection
Hire a professional HVAC technician to inspect your heating and cooling system at the start of the season before the weather turns really cold.
During a basic inspection, the tech will check functionality, look at temperature levels, measure airflow, test ductwork for air leaks, and test safety controls. Even if the system is operating properly, they can suggest simple maintenance procedures that will improve the equipment’s longevity and efficiency.
Signing up for regular maintenance today will provide peace of mind because systems that don’t receive these checkups tend to go out when you least expect it — and when you most need a warm home.
7. Upgrade Your System
If your aging furnace is killing your utility bill and isn’t keeping you warm, it may be time to consider an upgrade to something more efficient. A variable speed heat pump might be just what you need.
Heat pumps are an extremely energy efficient way to both heat and cool your home year-round with a single system. A heat pump removes heat and humidity during warm weather to cool the interior and reverses that process during cool weather to heat it.
The Platinum Series Heat Pump from American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning has variable-speed technology.
It selects from one of 750 speeds to maintain a home’s temperature set point within ½ a degree.
Best of all, the unit does this independently, changing the speed based on settings in an AccuLink Platinum 1050 Control smart thermostat.
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