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A while back the guys on the forum put together a great list of energy saving tips. These are simple things that you can do pretty much right now, or maybe right after a quick run to the home improvement store for supplies. These aren’t huge projects that take weeks to complete. They also aren’t horribly expensive things to do. These are the basic and cost effective things you can do to cut those energy bills.
For the blog purposes, we’re going to break it down into sections because it is a fairly long list. Please keep in mind that this list was intended to grow over time as we think of new ideas. Feel free to recommend things to be added to the list.
This time we’re looking at tips on heating a home. There are many little tricks to allowing you to reduce the temperature in your home, yet still say comfortable. Also, many of these tips also apply to cooling your house.
Heating
- Turn your furnace thermostat temperature down as much as is comfortable.
- Turn down your thermostat if you are going to be away out of the house for an extended period of time.
- Wear appropriate clothing for the season (bundle up in winter, dress light in summer).
- Seal ducting with aluminum tape or duct mastic. Do not use duct tape.
- Insulate ducting that is not in conditioned space (attic/basement).
- Use a programmable thermostat. It will easily pay for itself in a few months.
- Open blinds/shades during the day to let solar light/heat in, close them once the sun goes down to stay warmer.
- Have a professional come out and inspect/clean/tune up your natural gas / LPG furnace every few years.
- Make or buy interior storm windows to increase a window’s R value.
- Make/buy window quilts or insulating blinds to increase a window’s R value.
- Make/buy insulating window curtains to increase a window’s R value.
- Use an electric blanket to allow you to turn down the temperature more at night and still stay comfortable.
- Use a humidifier to ensure proper levels of humidity in the house. This will allow you to turn down the temperature farther and still be comfortable.
- Remove window screens in winter to let more sun light through windows. Screens block 1/3rd of the light coming through the window.
- Use ceiling fans on low to mix the air in the room up to prevent hot air from staying up near the ceiling.
- Close off rooms and their vents / radiators if they aren’t being used regularly.
- Change your furnace filter regularly. The rule of thumb is change it monthly.
- Clean your furnace’s/boiler’s heat exchanger before each heating season. The built up dust and grime reduce its efficiency.
- Put a radiant barrier behind the radiators to reflect heat into the room.
- Clean your windows before winter. It will let more light & heat in.
If you like, you can see the full list of 60+ home energy saving tips.
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