As the energy costs keep increasing, homeowners are always looking to come up with ways to minimize their rising monthly energy bills. While there are potentially endless energy-intensive appliances and devices in your home, your heating and cooling unit is arguably the biggest contributor to your household energy costs. And this simply implies that if you are looking to reduce your monthly heating bill, your heating department will be the first place to turn your attention to.
If you would like to significantly reduce your monthly heating bills during this coming cold season, below are some proven and practical tips to help you reduce heating bill.
1. Regularly change your heater’s air filter:
An air filter may not seem like an important component that you need to routinely check and change, but they are essential in maintaining your heater’s performance. A dirty filter makes your heater or furnace to work relatively harder to meet your home’s heating requirements. A damaged or dirty air filter drastically limits the amount of heated air flowing inside your home, making it work harder, and as a result, leading to increased energy consumption. Changing your air filter more regularly will not only help reduce heating bills, but will also allow your heating system to function more efficiently.
2. Insulate your home:
Research shows that heating and cooling account for nearly 70% of the energy consumption in the average Australian home. Reducing air leakage in your home by sealing unwanted air outlets, and properly insulating your home can go a long way in reducing your monthly energy bills.
Insulation in your home offers resistance to heat flow and reduces your heating costs. Adequately insulating your home will not only significantly minimize your monthly heating and cooling costs, but will also boost your overall comfort.
Insulation provides an effective barrier that reduces the rate of heat exchange. It keeps the heated air from escaping on a cold day and equally prevents warm air from coming in on a hot day. You’ll need to consult a qualified heater service to properly insulate your home to prevent unwanted energy transfer.
3. Consider installing a programmable thermostat:
Even though they are relatively more expensive, programmable thermostats have the potential to reduce your energy costs significantly. The trick behind the programmable thermostat is that you will minimize energy usage when you are away from home or when sleeping. When used appropriately, these fantastic devices can potentially reduce your energy costs by 10-30%. Heating and cooling expert agree that a couple of degrees in cooling when you are either sleeping or away can make a huge difference on your heating bill, and a programmable thermostat will help make the necessary adjustments without compromising your comfort.
4. Keep your windows and doors closed:
You should always keep your doors and windows shut anytime your heater is operating to help minimize heat loss. This will in turn ensure that your heater won’t have to strain or work fairly harder to adequately heat your home.
5. Get your ceiling fans going!
Ceiling fans are a great way to keep cool during the hot season and warm during the winter season. Ceiling fans will make you feel cool during the summer by creating an artificial breeze that depletes moisture from your skin. And this means that you can now set your thermostat higher, allowing you to save money on your heating and cooling bills.
During the cold season, you only need to alter the direction of your ceiling fan and make the blades to run in the opposite direction for it to heat your room.
6. Schedule routine heater maintenance:
It is strongly recommended that you should have your heating and cooling unit maintained and serviced more regularly. A well-maintained heater will not only function more efficiently, but will also consume less energy. In this regard, all types of heaters should be examined by heater service professionals at least once every year. Call us now book a heater technician on 1300 100 040.
7. Call for an energy audit:
If you are not certain about what appliances or devices that might be responsible for your ever-increasing heating costs, you should schedule an energy audit for your entire home to help find out where you need to enhance the efficiency of your home.