You’re likely not looking forward to your energy bills during Decatur, AL’s cooler months. Already, you may be looking for ways to increase the efficiency of your heating system during this time. The good news is that there are several things you can do to cut your heating bill, which is the largest portion of your electric bill each month.

Using your home to do so doesn’t necessarily mean taking on expensive home improvement projects, although these can help. There are many simple ways to help preserve the heat in your home.

  1. Use your ceiling fan correctly. Many homeowners don’t know that the humble ceiling fan can spin in both directions, and actually help with winter heating. Most have a switch for reversing your fan’s rotation. Set your fan to spin clockwise during the cooler months. This will push warmer air down into the room to prevent it from rising and escaping through your ceiling.
  2. Open your blinds. If the sun is out, use it to heat your home for free! The sun streaming through your glass can help to warm up a room or your entire home, depending on where your largest windows are facing. South-facing windows are especially useful for this during the winter. Of course, you’ll need to close your blinds or curtains at night to help preserve heat.
  3. If you have one, use your fireplace. Aside from the cost of firewood, this is a low-cost method for heating your home. Just be sure to do proper maintenance on your fireplace to prevent safety issues such as carbon monoxide poisoning and be sure that your flue is open. If there’s no fire, close the flue to prevent the loss of your home’s heat.
  4. Locate any obvious drafts. Under doors and around windows cause drafts. And physics comes into play here: when heat rises, cold air will rush into your home to replace it. Drafts will allow the cold air in, as it will take the path of least resistance. Seal the drafts with cheap products such as door snakes, rolled-up towels, and window-seal kits that you can apply with plastic and a hair dryer.
  5. Lower your thermostat when you’re away or sleeping. Smart thermostats are excellent for this, as you won’t have to remember to do so once you set it to a certain schedule. Manually changing your temperature should help as well, though it will require a bit more work.
  6. Close the vents to unused rooms. If you have a room that’s sparsely or not used, closing off the vents and the door will keep your heat in the correct area of your home. On the opposite end, be sure that the vents to the rooms you are using are not only open but have enough space to adequately deliver heat to your home. Avoid placing furniture in front of vents, along with other obstructions.

Don’t despair if these tips aren’t helping to retain the heat in your home very well. Perhaps you have an older furnace, or you want to upgrade to a more efficient system. Or perhaps you have questions about your system or are looking into a smart thermostat. If this is the case, contact us today. We proudly serve the Decatur, AL area and beyond.