Whether you are concerned about the increasing costs of fuel, or you simply want to make sure that your home is ready to face the chill of the next couple of months, heating efficiency is something worth thinking about. Here, we are going to look at a few of the tips that can help you not only stay warmer in the coming months, but can chip away at your heating bills for years to come, which can mean real savings in your pocket. Most of us could use it at the moment, after all.
Start with the heating system, first and foremost
You cannot really talk about making the home more efficient to heat and keep heated without looking at the source of all of that heat. The vast majority of people are going to have a home heating system, whether it is reliant on a boiler, furnace, or otherwise. It is important to, at least once a year, invest in some heating maintenance by having a technician come out to give it a once over. They can fix minor issues then and there, but also let you know about any risks that could affect the effectiveness and efficiency of your heating in the future. At some point, it may be a lot more cost-effective to replace a heater that is aged an ineffective rather than continuously trying to fix it.
Be mindful of the fact that heat can escape your home
Improving the heating of your home is all well and good but, beyond that, you have to look at whether your home is able to keep the heat in or whether the heat is finding ways to escape. If this happens, then your heating system has to work harder to reach the temperatures that you want which, in turn, means spending more on fuel to keep it going. Your windows are typically the primary culprit when it comes to heat that is escaping the home. This can be due to a minor air leak that is not too difficult to caulk, but if the window is on the older side, then it can start to be like playing whack-a-mole as new leaks will open up and the general efficiency will decrease, meaning that replacements such as Renewal by Andersen windows can become a lot more of a sensible option. At some point, you have to think about future savings and make a little more investment now.
What about the roof over your head?
Aside from your windows, your roof is the most likely culprit when it comes to heat loss in the home. After all, heat rises and, if there are gaps in your roof or the tiles are simply so old that heat can get out through them, then there is going to be a continuous rise escape of warmth through those gaps. Look to your local roofing contractor like Skywalker Roofing to see if your roof is in good condition or if you need to start thinking about a replacement.
Keep the home insulated as best as possible
Even if you have a new window, new roof, and even new doors on the home, the overall effectiveness of the home when it comes to keeping the heat in can be let down by other aspects. Poor insulation is a huge culprit, as the heat can still bleed out through the walls and the roof if you do not have the right material there to keep it in. Most states offer some sort of weatherization grant that can help you pay for the upgrades that allow you to protect your home from the effects of bad weather, which includes insulating the home.
Use the right window treatments to keep it warm
Even after you have replaced your windows, there are still changes that you can make to ensure that it does not lose heat, and, indeed, you can make them better at reflecting heat back into the room. In particular, your choice of window treatments can make a huge difference. Products like Nicetown Thermal Curtains can, as the name suggests, better store thermal energy, making it harder for heat to pass through them. There are also thermal films that you can apply directly to the window that has much the same effect. Usually, the thicker the coating, the better the effect it has.
Is your chimney fighting against you?
Not every home has a fireplace, so this is a tip that can often go forgotten, but if you have a hearth that is more than just decorative, and you are not using it to heat up the home, then you should think about closing it up entirely or even temporarily. The heat can escape up and out through the chimney just as easily as it can the ceiling and if you do not have an effective sealing door on it, this can end up making the home a lot colder. To that end, you can use a chimney balloon that you send up through it, or you can block it up with concrete if you’re intending to never use it again.
Be smart about your thermostat
If you want to be more efficient with your heating, then you need to better control how your heating system works. The vast majority of heating systems come with some kind of thermostat to allow you to control what temperature you want the home to be. With the help of a smart thermostat, however, this can adjust automatically and you can even operate it remotely so that it becomes a lot more convenient to find that perfect balance between keeping the home hot enough while not using any more fuel than you need to.
If you want to make sure that your home is warm, efficient, and safe throughout not just this winter, but every winter to come, then you have to invest the right time in both your heating as well as the home that keeps the heat in. Hopefully, the tips above can get you on the right path to a home that’s much easier to stay comfy in.
