Tips For Lowering Your Heating Bill

Dealing with cold, yucky weather for months on end is hard enough. But paying more for heat just makes it worse. Here are some tips for saving cash on your heating so you can go therapy shopping to get you through the winter misery.

Get a thermostat that allows setback
Lowering your thermostat will undoubtedly lower your gas consumption. Setback allows you to vary the temperature setting according to your daily schedule. So for the days at work (when you’re using the boss’s heat), you can leave your home cooler. In the evening, you can enter a warm house without having to wait for it to heat up while sitting in your parka.

You have two main options for this: a programmable thermostat that lets you input the temperature settings you’d like throughout the week and a smart thermostat that learns your schedule and connects to your phone so you can remotely increase the temperature before entering the door. Discuss with a Western Heating and Air professional so you can choose the right one for you.

Tighten up leaks in your home’s construction
Having better control over your temperature settings won’t help much if cold air is leaking in or warm air is leaking out. Make sure your windows and doors are well sealed to keep the indoor air in so you use less heat to make up for losses.

In addition to sealing leaks, you can replace windows with high performance ones that have higher insulation values. You can choose from multiple panes of glass (double or triple glazed) or windows with special coatings as well as vacuum sealed air spaces for even better insulation.

Upgrade to a high efficiency furnace or boiler
Reduce energy consumption at the source by upgrading your furnace or boiler to one that has a high efficiency and watch your bill drop. Annual efficiencies on residential heating equipment can be as high as 98%, an improvement of 18% over older equipment in the 80% range.

Insulate ducts and pipes in unheated spaces
If you have a high efficiency furnace but lose heat through ducts in the attic, you’ll still end up consuming more gas and paying more. This is a simple fix that can save you up to 35% of unnecessary heat loss. Even if you already have insulation, you might want to consider re-insulating older ducts. Before you do, however, make sure to seal any leaks as these are responsible for even more losses.

Professional improvements
If you’re tired of spending more than your fair share on your heating bill, give the experts at Western Heating and Air a call, and we can assess the best ways to save you energy and help you bring those costs down. Western Heating & Air Conditioning has Comfort Certified Experts available 24-7 to help keep you warm and comfortable. Call (801) 224-8899 to schedule a home analysis, or visit us online.