When the winter months bring along frigid temperatures, your first instinct may be to adjust the thermostat — all to prevent your home from turning into an igloo. While this may provide relief, it can also hike up your energy bills to new heights, especially if you don’t give your unit a break now and then.
Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind in a conscious effort to help conserve energy while keeping as cozy as can be.
How to Stay Warm Without Breaking the Bank
Consider a Programmable Thermostat
If you’re looking to reap the benefits of having total customized control over your home’s heating system, consider having a programmable thermostat installed. While the device might cost a tad more upfront than a traditional thermostat, it will help gradually decrease your energy bills over time.
The reason why this is the device can prevent “breaking the bank” is due to a few different factors:
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The device allows for a heating schedule to be set.
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It will inform you if there is an issue with your unit (i.e., needing a new filter).
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They can be controlled with a smartphone just about anywhere in the world.
Furthermore, a programmable thermostat can read the temperature much more accurately, keeping a consistent climate — unlike a traditional thermostat that may require some toying around with to achieve the exact level of comfort you’re looking for.
Seal Leaks
Do you have a room in your home that always seems to stay cold, no matter how much you’ve tampered with the thermostat? If this happens to be the case, you may have an air leak present.
While the opening may be relatively small, it can certainly have a significant impact. To help stop it in its tracks, consider sealing it with some supplies from your local home improvement store.
Leaks can be found in any of the following areas of the room:
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Windows
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Doors
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Walls
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Ceiling
Additionally, if you’ve sealed up all the leaks in that room, but it still feels as if there is cold air seeping through, you may want to consider having the windows replaced, installing insulated curtains, or even have the whole room reinsulated.
Wear Layers Upon Layers
While there’s a chance that you’ll bundle up when you leave your home on a windy day, you may not be dressed adequately when you’re lounging around indoors. As it turns out, wearing layers will help keep you toasty and warm — and can even help you cut back on your furnace usage.
When bundling up for the “great indoors,” consider adding some of the following articles of clothing to your ensemble:
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Wool hat
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Cozy socks
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Sweatshirt, hoodie, or a light jacket
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Slippers or boots
Keep in mind that you’ll want to make sure that your head and feet are covered — since these two parts help regulate body temperature.
Continue to Use Your Ceiling Fan
Sure, this may sound outlandish — but a ceiling fan can help out in a big way. During the summertime, setting your fan to rotate in a counterclockwise direction will help move around cold air produced by your air conditioner — which helps make your humble abode much more bearable. However, during the wintertime, you’ll want to make sure that your fan spins in a clockwise direction.
This is important because a clockwise-spinning fan will help sweep up any cold air present in the room and circulate the warm air produced by your furnace. This will create a much more comfortable atmosphere and help cut back on the number of times you adjust your thermostat.
Heating Services in Monroe, MI
If you’re looking for top-tier service when it comes to your home’s heating system, look no further than the pros at Iceberg Heating & Cooling. Family-owned and operated since 1998, we’ve been Monroe’s go-to HVAC specialists ever since!
To schedule your appointment with our team of pros, give us a call at 734-342-3420 or contact us on the web!
