Your heating bill is probably one of the most expensive parts of maintaining your home during the long, cold days of winter. There is nothing worse than opening up the electric and gas bills, and seeing that the total due is way higher than what is expected. While maintaining the warmth of your home during the winter is important, there are a couple of things you can do to save money without compromising your comfort. Here are three reasons why your heating bill is high and what you can do about it.
Insulation
Insulation is a general term for any material used to fill the spaces of your home to reduce heat flow through reflection or absorption. Insulation should be in your walls, above in your ceiling, and under-foot in your floor. Insulation is what keeps the heat on the outside of your house during summer and retains the heat that you’re paying for within your home during winter.
The first step you should take is to have a professional come out and do a proper analysis of your current insulation situation. Many times, they can add more insulation to your existing material, or depending on the age and condition of your existing insulation, may deem it necessary to replace it.
Leaky Ductwork
Leaky ductwork is inherently inefficient and can raise your heating bills. Fortunately, it is easy to detect and diagnose. If you follow the pipes leading from your furnace, and you can feel air blowing, you have a problem. While you could always slap on a piece of duct tape on the leak, it’s often a sign of a bigger issue and you will want to call a professional HVAC contractor. Causes of leaks could stem from clogged filters or other issues in the heating system. Getting clean filters, pipes, and furnaces will allow the heat to be sent through the system as efficiently as possible.
Furnace Upgrade
Nobody wants to have to replace their furnace due to the large initial costs of the unit and the additional cost of having someone come install it. What a lot of people do not think about though, is even though it is a large cost upfront, it will save you money each month. Furnaces have an average lifespan of 25 years and even though it might still be working, today’s machines are a lot more efficient now than two decades ago. The new machines are also better at regulating carbon monoxide which won’t keep you warm but will keep you alive!