Reduce Soaring Home
Heating Bills!
Courtesy of ARA content
 Record world oil prices will hit home heating this winter, with consumers likely paying high prices to heat their homes. Natural gas will rise an average of 24 percent and fuel oil a whopping 36 percent says the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association.
Here are seven tips from the Comfort Institute to make your home an energy sipper instead of a gas-guzzler. They will help you save money, improve comfort and help the environment too.
1. Ask your heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor to test your duct system for air leaks. Seal ducts with a brushed on fiber-reinforced elastomeric sealant. Duct tape, which is great for many things, usually dries out and fails.
2. Ask your contractor to perform an Infiltrometer "blower door" test. Many heating contractors offer an Infiltrometer test as part of a home and duct performance test that also checks insulation levels.
3. Have your heating system cleaned and tuned. It reduces the chances of breakdowns on cold winter nights, improves safety and more than pays for itself through more energy efficient operation.
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Go to www.confortinstitute.org for a free report on how to identify a good heating and cooling contractor.
4. Replace your furnace or heat pump air filter, or clean it if it is an electronic unit. Most systems need this done every month to ensure safe and efficient operation. Or ask your contractor for an extended surface area central air filter that only needs to be replaced once a year.
5. Close your fireplace damper. Shut it now or waste precious warm air all winter long.
6. Install a programmable set-back thermostat. Turning down the thermostat eight degrees for eight hours a day will save 8 percent on home heating costs.
7. Consider replacing your old furnace or heat pump. New units can pay for themselves over time as they are up to twice as energy efficient. But don't just update the furnace. Today's new equipment is drastically compromised if it is hooked up to bad ducts.
Do some homework before talking to contractors. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov and www.comfortinstitute.org. Print out the free Comfort Institute report "Tips and Secrets to Buying a New Heating and Cooling System." |
