Woman adjusting thermostat

Top 4 Home Heating Mistakes People Make

This fall and winter, avoid these heating mistakes at all costs! You’ll stay warmer and won’t have to spend as much on your heating bills.

  1. Don’t Heat an Empty House

This first tip might seem pretty self-explanatory, but it’s easy to forget about your heater when you’re leaving the house, whether it’s for work or a vacation. If you have a programmable thermostat, this is an easy fix. Set your desired temperature levels for the week depending on what time of day there are people at home.

Additionally, if you have a smart thermostat that’s connected to your phone, you’ll never have to worry about running into this problem. Just adjust the temperature straight from your phone!

  1. Don’t Crank Up the Heater

If it’s cold in your home and you’re looking for a quick and easy way to bring the temperature up, don’t crank the thermostat up 15 degrees. Your house will heat up at the same rate, whether you increase the temperature 2 degrees or 20, and cranking the thermostat wastes a lot of energy.

  1. Don’t Shut the Air Vents

Is there a room in your house that no one sits in? It probably feels like a waste to keep that space heated then, and you might be tempted to shut the air vents in there. However, this practice will actually waste just as much energy as letting that room remain temperature-controlled, and it can also cause damage!

Your system is designed to take in the same volume of air as what it blows out. Closing vents disrupts that balance and increases pressure in your air ducts. If the pressure increases enough, it can create leaks in the ductwork.

  1. Don’t Neglect the Air FIlters

Neglecting your air filters will not only impact the air quality of your home, but also the efficiency of your heating system. Your air filters are designed to capture dust, dirt, and other allergens before forcing air throughout the ductwork and vents in your home, therefore they have a major impact on the quality of the air you’re breathing.

When these filters aren’t changed frequently enough, they become clogged with contaminants and your heating system has to work even harder to push air through them.

As always, if you encounter any heating obstacles this cold season, contact Homer Nine and Sons, Inc. today at (724) 241-8698.