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Save On Heating Costs |
It is already time to turn on the furnace in your Florida home. If you
live in a part of the country that is cold during the winter, you spend a
lot of money on heating costs. Some people are spending up to 50% of their
monthly budget on heating.
Heating costs have gone up rapidly in the past two years. You may find
that you are paying twice as much to heat your home. What can you do to
save some of this money?
Start by walking through your home and identifying the areas where heated
air is leaking out. Check around your doors, windows, fireplaces and any
drafty areas. There are many ways to close off leaks. You can caulk,
weather strip and use plastic to seal off drafts. Put door sweeps on all
of your outside doors. If your home is poorly insulated, the additional
money spent to insulate it will pay for itself in reduced heating costs.
The more you prevent heated air from leaking out, the more you will save.
Most people never think of this, but you should minimize the usage of
ventilation fans and kitchen hood fans during the winter. I've heard it
said that one bathroom fan can pull all of the warm air out of an average
sized house in a little over an hour. This could increase your heating
costs by a surprising amount.
If you don't use portions of your Vero Beach area home, such as the guest
room, why are you heating them? Close the heating vents in these areas and
close the doors to rooms you don't use.
Spend the money to have an annual maintenance performed for your furnace
or heat pump. This will keep it in good operating condition and running
efficiently. Poorly maintained units use more energy and fuel. Maintenance
is often fairly inexpensive when compared to the savings in heating costs
and the extended life of the unit.
Often, people get a little chill and crank up the thermostat in order to
warm up the room faster. This doesn't work. The heater won't heat up any
more quickly. Your furnace will only work harder than necessary. Don't
turn your heat completely off when you are sleeping or not at home.
Turning it too low will cost you more to re-heat the air in your home. You
should set the thermostat at 68 to 70 degrees while you are at home during
the day, and drop it to 60 to 65 at night or when you aren't at home. A
programmable thermostat is great for this.
Take a look at your hot water heater. It should be set at 120 degrees at
the most. This is one of the safest temperatures anyway. If it is in an
unheated areas, like an unfinished basement, you should wrap it in an
insulation blanket to prevent heat loss. When washing clothes, try to wash
them in cold water whenever possible. They even make soap powder that
works best in cold water now.
There are many ways to save on your heating costs. From grabbing a sweater
to opening south facing curtains during the day, you will find many
savings.
Martin Lukac represents
http://www.RateEmpire.com , an
Internet consumer banking marketplace. RateEmpire.com is a destination
site of personal finance, banking, investing, taxes, debt management and
mortgage rates. RateEmpire.com provides mortgage guides and financial
rates and information. RateEmpire.com also operates a financial portal #1
American Financial, found at http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com and San
Diego loan portal
http://www.LendingSanDiego.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Lukac If you are looking for a Vero Beach heating
contractor, please call us today at 772.299.9818 or complete our online service request form. | | |
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"Your service tech was personable, quick and professional. He nailed the problem minutes after arriving and had everything fixed a short time after" - Serafina & Pat Kinnaire, Vero Beach, Florida