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8 Ways to Save Energy with Your Furnace

A residential furnace, burns firewood or coal and makes warm air
Being able to heat your home is essential during the colder months. On average, a space-heating system uses from 40% to 60% of your home’s energy depending on the type of system and choosing the right system and using it efficiently will save you wasting energy and money.

ENERGY STAR designated heating and cooling equipment, when properly designed and installed, can save consumers from 15 percent or more on heating and cooling bills each year, depending on where you live, and how much you pay for your energy source. Either way, energy savings, will often pay for themselves over the life of the equipment.

Maintenance Tips -If you are not in the market for a new home heating system, there are a lot of ways to keep your current system running efficiently.

  • Before each heating season, have your furnace serviced by a qualified technician. Keeping your filters and ducts clean and free of dirt and debris will help your furnace run more efficiently, resulting in cost-savings on your energy bill. An annual tune-up could save you three to 10 per cent in heating costs each month.
  • Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they’re not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
  • Ensure your home is properly insulated. A properly insulated home will keep the temperature in your home regulated.
  • Check your windows and doors. Up to 30 percent of the heating in your home can be lost through poorly fitted windows and doors.

Heating tips– When it comes to actually using your heater, there are ways to minimize the amount of energy used while still keeping your home warm.

    • Set your thermostat to as low a temperature as is comfortable in the winter. If you are cold, try putting on a sweater.
    • During the winter, keep the draperies and shades on your south facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
    • Install a programmable thermostat on your furnace to automatically adjust the temperature setting. Lowering your thermostat by 1 degree during the winter months, can save as much as 3% of the energy your furnace uses.
    • Lower it at night and when you go to work.

Become fully aware of the different heating options open to you and how to use them efficiently. Doing so will help to lower your energy bill and help the environment!

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Comments

  1. Birney Summers says

    Great list of thing to do to save money this heating season. They are items that almost everyone can actually use to save on their energy bills. Lock your windows to help keep the heat inside.

  2. Mark D. Tyrol says

    How To Reduce Your Energy Bills / Energy Conservation Begins at Home

    Imagine leaving a window open all winter long — the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan or AC Return, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.

    These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause heat to pour out and the cold outside air to rush in — costing you higher heating bills.

    Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. Most homeowners are well aware of the benefits caulk and weatherstripping provide to minimize heat loss and cold drafts.

    But what can you do about the four largest “holes” in your home — the folding attic stair, the whole house fan or AC return, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.

    Attic Stairs

    An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling.

    Whole House Fans and AC Returns

    An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a whole house fan cover. Installed from the attic side, the whole house fan cover is invisible. Cover the fan to reduce heating and air-conditioning loss, remove it when use of the fan is desired.

    Fireplaces

    A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter due to the air leakage and wasted energy caused by fireplaces.

    An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a fireplace draftstopper. Available from Battic Door, a company known for their energy conservation products, a fireplace draftstopper is an inflatable pillow that seals the damper, eliminating any air leaks. The pillow is removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after.

    Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts

    An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal. This will reduce unwanted air infiltration, and keep out pests, bees and rodents as well. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint and moisture to escape.

    If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan, an AC return, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, you can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.

    Mark D. Tyrol is a Professional Engineer specializing in cause and origin of construction defects. He developed several residential energy conservation products including an attic stair cover, an attic access door, and is the U.S. distributor of the fireplace draftstopper. To learn more visit http://www.batticdoor.com

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