4 Things You Should Know About Your Heating Your Home

Whether you own a house or a rent an apartment, savvy knowledge about heating your home will bring you advantages ranging from saving money on your monthly bill to preventing damage to your belongings (and thus saving you more money!). But you don't need to be a heating expert to reap these benefits. Simply consider and apply these four interesting tidbits as you heat your dwelling space.

#1: Turning Down the Temperature Saves Money—But How Much?

Common logic will tell you that turning down your heater will save you money, but just how much? The results are actually pretty significant. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that you can save as much as 1% of your energy bill for every degree you turn it down—which can add up to a lot if you're trimming back 5 to 15 degrees. So while it may be tempting to make your home a balmy 75°F, think about that 5% savings off your bill as you turn it down to 70°F and instead put on a sweater to achieve your cozy temperature. 

#2: Turn it Down for at Least 8 Hours

In your haste to follow #1, be warned that you need to turn it down and leave it down for at least 8 hours for the savings to be effective. Otherwise the back and forth in temperature can actually cost you more. So if you only want to turn down the temperature for part of the day, while you're away at work and while you're sleeping would be perfect time frames to do so.  

#3: When You're Gone for Days or Weeks, Keep Your Heater on

Knowing that you save money with every degree you turn down and that long periods of time are the most effective for saving, it's tempting to look at your upcoming winter vacation and think turning off your heater completely will save you oodles of money. But in actuality, you're going to want to keep that heater running.

Not only will reheating your home when you return take a toll on your heater that may exceed any savings, you also have your pipes to think about. If you leave your home with no heat you may come home to frozen pipes that take hours to days to thaw. Even worse than a delayed hot shower, frozen pipes can eventually burst and leak water everywhere.  No money will have been saved at that point.

But don't give up on the idea of saving money during your vacation. Turning back the heat is still ideal. Power companies advise setting your thermostat between 50°-60°F while away to most effectively save money and energy while still protecting your pipes.

#4: Strategically Place Your Thermostat

If you have any control over the matter, make sure you're strategic about where your thermostat is placed. Placing it too close to a door or a heating vent may give it false readings of the temperature of your home, and thus mess up the heating of the rest of your home. Try to mount your thermostat on a wall that is free from drafts and direct sunlight (so beware of walls next to vents, windows, and doors). Also, so it can best read the air temperature, make sure house plants and furniture aren't blocking it—which will also help you have easy access for programming it and turning it down.  

Rest assured, figuring out how to best heat your home while be efficient and money-wise is not a privilege reserved for the rocket scientists of society. By using these four tips in your every day life, you can trim your energy bill while efficiently heating your home. Contact companies like Christian Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. to learn more about your options.