Heating a home takes a chunk out of a household budget. When you adopt a proactive approach to heat loss in your North Texas home, you’ll get more from every heating dollar that you spend. The following tips can help you get started.
- Change your forced-air furnace filter. A clean filter helps your heating system operate more efficiently, which means it uses less energy to keep your home comfortable. Doing this simple task once a month will help stretch your heating dollars.
- Check your attic insulation. Adequate insulation in the attic prevents heat from your home rising into the attic in the winter, and transferring downward in the summer.
- Reduce your water heating expenses. If you wrap your old hot water tank in an insulated jacket or blanket, you can reduce heat loss by as much as 45 percent, and save up to 9 percent on heating costs. To save 5 percent more, lower your heater’s thermostat setting by 10 degrees if it’s 130 degrees or more.
- Insulate your water pipes. Hot water pipes are often routed through uninsulated areas of a home, so they’re prone to heat loss. You’ll get more out of your heating budget by wrapping them in foam piping insulation.
- Check for and fix air leaks. Significant heat loss can take place through small holes in your siding, cracks in your sealants, leaks around windows and doors, and gaps around pipes, vents and outlets. Use a combination of expanding foam insulation, weatherstripping and caulk to tighten up your exterior.
- Clean your heating vents. It’s easy for dust, lint, hair and other household debris to collect in your vents in between the heating and cooling seasons, which can reduce the flow of warm air.
- Examine your window and door joints. Over time, these joints can loosen and create an easy way for warm air to escape. Use a smoke pencil or a stick of burning incense to locate any areas that need to be sealed.
- Take a good look at your roofing. Missing or damaged shingles and tiles give water and cold air an entrance route into your attic. Fix any areas that need attention, and be sure to check for damage inside your attic, too.
For more tips on preventing heat loss in your Wichita Falls area home, contact us at James Lane Air Conditioning & Plumbing Co.
