We all want to live comfortably during the coldest times of the year. We also want to do so without facing high heating costs. While there are issues beyond the homeowners’ control that can lead to inefficient heating, many causes of a subpar heating performance are the result of user error. Here are a few tips to help prevent you from making it harder than it should be for your heater to heat your home.
Are You Turning the System On and Off?
Winters are cold enough in this part of the country that you should be running your heater regularly throughout the winter. You may think that you can save some money by shutting your heater off when you leave for work in the morning. But shutting your heater on and off multiple times throughout the day can have a negative impact on efficiency and the condition of the system. A better alternative is to use a programmable thermostat. You can maintain more moderate temperatures throughout the day when you’re away from home, but you won’t have to start heating your house from scratch when you get back. Heaters use more energy when starting up than when running in full cycles, and you shouldn’t force your heater to play catch-up every night.
Are You Cranking Up the Temperature?
Let’s say that we have a warmer than usual day. You may turn your heater way down, or even shut it off. What do you do when the temperature drops back down to low levels, however? If your reaction is to crank the thermostat up to 80°F, you need to adjust your habits.
Turning the thermostat up very high doesn’t make your heater heat the home faster. It just turns the system on as usual, and gives it a very high target. The system will run longer than necessary, your home will get warmer than you need it, and the heater will likely struggle to reach an unattainable goal if the weather is extremely cold outside. Run your system regularly, and make small adjustments here and there as needed.
Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning is the company to call for heating services in Loveland, CO. Big enough to serve, small enough to care.