As the weather transforms from summer’s warmth to the cold of winter, it’s time to start thinking about your furnace and preparing your house for winter as well as ways to save money on heat bills.
‘For furnaces, it’s good to have a professional technician come out and do a cleaning check on the furnace, to check for carbon monoxide, and go through the whole thing to make sure it’s safe,? said Dan Scribner, Scrib’s Heating and Air Conditioning.
If people are not going to have a technician come out, they should at least check both their furnace filter and humidifier filter, he said.
‘If your furnace is 10-15 years old, it’s a good time to think about upgrading it to a more energy saving piece of equipment, which will save you a lot of money in the long run,? said Scribner.
‘If you put the money out now for a new furnace it would probably pay for itself in probably two winters.?
Another way to save money is through a programmable thermostat, he noted.
‘At night, you can set the heat back automatically, say from 70 to 65 degrees, then in the morning, it can kick back on up to 70 before you wake up.?
Local builder Sam Moraco of Muraca Building Company, Inc also recommends people upgrade their hot water heaters to an on-demand system, which only heats water when needed.
‘If you can’t afford to go with an on-demand water system, which is much more energy efficient, then you should at least insulate your water tank, so that it’s not turning on as frequently,? he said. ‘A regular water heater keeps water the same, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and if you’re not home, it’s still heating water.?
Specialized hot water blankets can be purchased at local appliance stores.
‘You should always keep your garage door shut during winter because it exposes the house to the outside temperatures,? said Moraco. ‘Also, make sure all the louvers are on your dryer vents, so when you’re not running, you’re not getting cold wind blowing inside.?
He also recommends making sure the attic has enough insulation.
‘If they are concerned because they live in an old house, they should have it checked for how much they have,? said Moraco.
Another major issue during winter is ice damming on the roof, he said.
“You should have bathroom fans leading directly to the outside because otherwise, you have all that hot steamy wet air into the attic and then it grows icicles and it warms the shingles from underneath. That’s what creates ice dams.?
Other tips include cleaning gutters and downspouts so when snow thaws, basement leaks won’t happen, checking sump pump, and the foundation around the house for adequate drainage so the basement doesn’t flood.