Lowering your heating bills
Todd’s Tips
Cool nights are here! This means fall is around the corner and time to get ready for the upcoming heating season. Here are some helpful tips that will assist in lowering your heating bills. First and foremost: get a pre-season tune up on your heating equipment. Every equipment manufacturer requires annual maintenance to maintain the warranty and a tune up will ensure your heating system is performing at peak efficiency. The other benefit would be peace of mind; you can rest assured after a proper tune up done by a qualified technician lessens the likelihood of a breakdown in the dead of winter.
Secondly; Replace or clean your air filter. These are found on the inlet end of the furnace. For example: if your furnace is in the garage and the supply vents are in the floor, most likely the filter would be above the furnace. If your furnace is in the basement on the floor: most likely it would be on either the left or right of the furnace.
Third; check your thermostat. If you have a programmable thermostat make sure the set point temps are at 70 degrees (or warmer/cooler if you prefer) during occupied hours and turns down at least 5 degrees during unoccupied times or while sleeping. Also make sure the system selection switch is in the “HEAT” position as well. Every year we receive “no heat” service calls where customers pay us to come switch the thermostat from “COOL” to heat (heat won’t come on in the “COOL” mode).
Last but not least; make sure your vents are open! The system needs all of them to be open to operate properly. Running the system with 50% of them closed will ultimately damage the system. Make sure the return inlets are not cover or obstructed by rugs or furniture. If you have filters in your supply air diffuses/grilles, your system will operate better, more efficiently and last longer without them. If you have a dust problem or allergens; give us a call. We can review your situation and confidently recommend a solution to the problem.
If you would like to schedule a tune up or want more info on them please contact our service department. Don’t forget to ask about any specials that are currently available.
Todd Howlett
(503)501-5517