Lower Heating Bills with These “Green” Tips
Winters can be frigid in the Manchester area, meaning homeowners will groan under the weight of heating bills. The pressure to keep up with heating bills is great motivation to try and reduce heating costs. This St. Patrick’s Day, it’s not too late to start saving money and making a greener, more eco-friendly home. Here are some tips from local central heating experts that can help stretch one's heating dollar and reduce energy usage.
Use Ceiling Fans as They Were Intended
In the summer, ceiling fans don’t cool the air in the home. They create a comfortable draft of moving air that facilitates the evaporation of sweat from a person’s skin. This has an overall cooling effect on the body but does nothing for the temperature. The fan moves warmer air downwards as it spins.
In the winter, homeowners need to take advantage of the warmer air that pools up near the ceiling. If people in a room feel the draft of moving air, they will feel cooler instead of warmer, so an answer is to cause the fan to pull air upward. This gently pushes warm air from the ceiling downward around the room's edges. No draft is felt, but the temperature down where people are will be warmer. So, fans should spin counterclockwise in the summer. Clockwise in the winter.
Change Air Filters When Necessary
A clean air filter is probably the most important part of a heater. When air filters get dirty, they impede air movement, which reduces the system's efficiency and raises heating costs. Air filters should be changed at a minimum every three months. If a home is particularly dusty or has pets, filters should be changed more often to prevent premature damage to the inside of a heater. With clean filters in place, homeowners can enjoy:
- Better humidity control
- Fewer drafts
- Cheaper bills
- Increased comfort
- Less dusty home
Consider Installing a Smart Thermostat
A final step that homeowners can take to reduce energy usage is to install a smart thermostat. Smart thermostats use learning algorithms to help homeowners better manage their heaters to run less often without sacrificing comfort. After initial installation, the thermostat will begin to learn about the habits of those that live in a home.
It will respond by allowing the temperature to lower when no one is home and heating the home when someone is about to return. By cycling the setpoint of the system, energy costs can be reduced to the point that the thermostat will pay for itself, sometimes in just one heating season.
About Skovron Mechanical Services LLC
Skovron Mechanical Services LLC has unparalleled customer service with upfront pricing and over 15 years of service to the community. Call today for experienced heating and air conditioning service in Manchester, NH.
