Simple Summer Projects to Save Big All Year Long
Depending on which part of the country you live in, the winter could very well be a rough one. Therefore, it is recommended by your friends at ANC that you undertake some simple summer projects to save big on your winter heating bill this year as well as for years to come.
1. Have a Programmable Thermostat Installed
When winter comes, if you do not currently own a programmable thermostat, you will have to leave the heating on all day whilst at work or whenever you are out to be able to come back to a warm home. This is obviously very expensive and wasteful. Therefore, it is recommended you install or have a programmable thermostat installed by an ANC comfort expert which will enable you to set the time and temperature you want the heating to come on at.
2. Service Your Furnace
The summer is the best time to call ANC and make an appointment to service your furnace. When winter strikes, there will be an influx of people who will want their furnaces serviced so be sure to call early. A cleaned and serviced furnace ensures that it will run both more efficiently and effectively allowing you to save money as you heat your house.
3. Increase Housing Circulation Efficiency
It is likely that there are rooms and areas in your home which do not get used very often. These may include storage areas, closet spaces, and even bedrooms which used to have your children living in them but they have since flown the nest. Most of these areas have a vent in the rooms. Therefore, it is wise to cover up these vents with either a wooden board (you can paint it to match the color of the room) or duct tape to ensure that heat will only travel to the areas of your home that need it. If you really want to step up the savings you can invest in a zone heating system from ANC to turn off and turn on heat to the parts of your home that need it most.
4. Seal Your Doors and Windows
With the simple inexpensive purchase of caulking supplies from your local hardware store, you will be able to shore up windows and eliminate drafts. You should also buy weather strips for your doors in order to not let any drafts in from underneath your door. By doing this, you will guarantee that the heat which is pumped into your home will stay in your home and thus you will not need to crank up your thermostat.
5. Buy and Install Extra Insulation
For those of you who have money to spare, an excellent solution to limit your heating bill is to purchase home insulation. If you look at your heating costs, chances are that a lot of the additional heating costs incurred are thanks to poor insulation which leads to a large amount of heat escaping from your house.
As mentioned, weather stripping and caulking is a low end solution to limit heating costs, but a high end solution to make your home as heat efficient as possible is to invest in a very high quality home insulation system. Insulating your home and adding a little r-value will surely add up to big savings during the cold winter months.
6. Invest in Additional Heat Sources
The level of effectiveness of a particular heating source in an area is inversely proportionate to the size of the area. Or to put it simply, the bigger the area, the lower the effectiveness of the heating. If you have a room which you alway have trouble heating during the winter, consider investing in a wood, gas or pellet fire stove. ANC has a huge selection of hearths in their Endicott showroom. Stop by today and have an ANC heating expert show you around.
7. Have Your Carpets Cleaned
One way to save in the long term is to have your carpets cleaned before the winter weather sets in. Not only will this make for a more comfortable environment to live in but it will also add years onto the life of your carpets. Make sure you choose a good carpet cleaning company that is insured and has a guarantee behind the work they perform and you’ll have an enjoyable winter relaxing around the house.​
