Here in Texas, we’re used to long Summers and watching our electric bill reach new heights every month. Our Winters are fairly mild and we rarely see more that a day or 2 of ice and snow. That doesn’t mean that we should discount keeping our heating costs in check. There are plenty of ways to make sure your heating bill doesn’t get out of control. Here are a few that we can think of:
Check your thermostat temperature program.
We see this one all too often: the homeowner has their cooling program set to perfection, but the heating schedule is out of whack. Set your thermostat to your ideal schedule. We recommend that you keep it colder when no one is home (62-65 degrees) and 68-72 when you are home. Lower heat temperatures equal lower heating costs, therefore, if you don’t have programmable thermostat, investing in one will pay for itself in a relatively short period of time.
Seal gaps and leaks.
Can you see daylight around an exterior door? If light can get through, then your hot air can get out. Inspect your weather stripping around the exterior doors, then replace if necessary. Don’t forget to double check your windows for air leaks as well.
Draw the curtains.
A significant amount of heat escapes from your house through the glass in your windows. Closing the curtains will help keep the heat inside and the cold outside.
Tune your furnace or heater up.
Making sure your heater is ready for winter is best thing you can do to keep your heating costs in check. Heaters with high bills do not get that way overnight, the issue usually builds slowly over time. By the time you realize something is wrong, hundreds of dollars, if not more, can be wasted. Ensure that your furnace or heater is running as efficiently as possible by having your furnace or heater regularly checked by a qualified professional.
