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Winter and Your Heater: How Can You Save Money?
The mercury is dipping, but your heating bills are on the rise. What's going on? The colder it gets, the more your heating system needs to work if you want to keep yourself and your family warm and comfortable.
Winter heating bills are no joke. Even if it's not anywhere near Arctic-level temps, you'll still notice a jump in your energy usage. But that doesn't mean you have to sit back and keep writing out checks. Of course, you do have to pay your electric and gas bills. What you don't need to do is pay more just because you have an inefficient heating system.
How can you improve your home's energy efficiency while making sure that everyone inside still stays warm? Take a look at some of the easiest ways to lower your heating bills and improve energy efficiency. Proper HVAC maintenance, using energy-efficient appliances and insulating may reduce your overall energy cost by up to 30 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Insulate Leaks
If you have air leaks, then you may also have higher heating bills. Why does this happen? Homes develop air leaks for a number of reasons.
Old, drafty, single-pane windows let the air in, and so do cracked window frames. Along with this, gaps around the frames or under entry doors can also let cold air in and warm air out. Likewise, unheated spaces, such as basements or crawlspaces, can let cold air into what should be warmer areas.
Before you can insulate air leaks, you must first find them. Walk around your home feeling for places where the air is coming in or going out. Feel around window frames, under and around doors or in the spaces that you know don't have ventilation systems.
When you find a leak, fix it. This may mean re-caulking around windows (both inside and out), adding weather-stripping, insulating larger spaces or even putting plastic sheeting over windows.
High-Efficiency Furnace
How much energy does your home's heating system use? If you have an old furnace, chances are that the answer is “too much.” There are a few different ways to tell if your furnace needs an upgrade.
Obviously, replacing a furnace is costly. But not replacing it may cost you more in the long run. A furnace that doesn't work well and heats inefficiently can cost you significantly more on electric or gas bills than a replacement would.
How do you know if your furnace is ready for a replacement? If you notice a sudden spike in energy bills, chances are something is going on with your heater. The parts may be worn or there may be some other issue that's causing the HVAC system to not work at its fullest potential.
Other signs to look out for include the constant need for repairs, the uneven heating of your home and the consistent need to bump up your thermostat setting. These signs, combined with the age of your furnace if it's over a decade old, may indicate that you need a new heating system. New energy-efficient furnaces and boilers can save you energy and money, and they can help you save the planet too.
Thermostat Issues
You finally got a new high-efficiency heating system. But you don't see the results you're looking for when it comes to your energy bills. What's going on? It's possible that you're setting your thermostat too high.
Obviously, if you're sweating in January, you have the temperature set too high. But if you're warm and comfy, you can still save money by changing your thermostat settings. You can lower your energy bill by programming your thermostat down a few degrees. Lowering it by 10 degrees for 8 hours can save you between 5 percent and 15 percent per year.
This doesn't mean you need to drop the temperature enough to make your family freeze. Try changing it while you're at work or at night while you're asleep.
Do you have further questions about how to lower your energy bill? Contact E.T. Ferrell & Son Heating & Air Conditioning Specialists.
Room registers that connect to your heating and cooling system occasionally blowout dirt or debris. Identify exactly what comes out of your registers.
A successful thief can earn about $15 to $20 selling the scrap metal parts from a stolen air conditioning unit. The victimized homeowner, however, is left with thousands of dollars in repair costs. Air conditioning systems are prime targets for desperate criminals looking to earn quick cash. Is your air conditioning system protected? Leaving your system unguarded only makes the perpetrators' job easier. Take actions to protect your unit.
As a homeowner, you probably want to keep costs as low as possible. Unfortunately, you could be spending more than you need to on your HVAC unit. Watch for these signs that you're overspending on your HVAC system and use these tips to start saving money.
The winter of 2018 was exceptionally cold, so many homeowners dealt with months of higher-than-average heating bills. Unfortunately, weather predictions for the coming summer indicate that temperature and humidity levels are also expected to be higher than normal, which can easily translate to spiraling cooling costs. Luckily, you still have time to take proactive measures to help control the cost of air conditioning. Here are some of the best tips for doing so.
Spring is almost here, and if you are like most homeowners, you are beginning to compile a list of spring cleaning tasks you want to complete in the coming months. In compiling this list, make sure you do not overlook your heating and cooling system. A little cleaning and care right now will prep your system for air conditioning season and minimize your need for repair calls. Here are five HVAC-related tasks to include on your spring cleaning checklist.
One of the most aggravating things in the world is dealing with a broken furnace in the middle of the winter. It's cold outside and you have nothing to heat your home with. What makes it worse is that, if you would have just dealt with the maintenance of your furnace during the fall, you probably could have prevented this from happening because you would have known the furnace needed to be repaired or replaced. So, since it is nearly fall, it is time to call an HVAC professional to perform maintenance on your furnace so that it is ready to keep your home warm this winter. But what do you do if they come back and say that there is something wrong with your furnace? How do you know if you should make the repairs or if it just time to get a new furnace? Read on to find out three questions you need to ask to make that decision.
Summer is a popular time for vacation-goers across the nation to hit the road and have fun with friends and loved ones. But before you leave your HVAC system behind, it's important to have it prepared to be left unattended for days, weeks or even longer. Not only will preparing it to ensure that your HVAC system and your home both remain in great shape while you're gone, but it'll also keep you from wasting unnecessary energy. There's plenty you can do to prep your HVAC system before setting off on your summer vacation. Here are a few great ideas to get you started.
When you're baby-proofing your house, you probably go for the most obvious targets: outlets that small fingers could probe, steep basement stairs that curious crawlers might attempt and shelves that could topple over when given just the right push. With so many safety hazards to address, it's easy to overlook some invisible dangers that could risk your baby's health — namely your home's air quality. Babies spend most of their time indoors, and the air they breathe can stunt their lungs' development — along with their mental and physical growth. Luckily, it's easy to make your home's air breathable for babies and parents alike. Follow the tips listed below to ensure that your air is just as safe as other aspects of your home.
Buying a home is a major investment and it’s important to keep it in good shape with routine maintenance. But many homeowners neglect to remember their furnace, which is often working silently behind the scenes. That can result in the furnace needing replaced, which can be costly. Here are the top five furnace problems homeowners may face.
Ferrell E T & Son Heating & Air Conditioning has advice on when you should be replacing your HVAC system.
E.T. Ferrell & Son
Heating & Air Conditioning Specialists
710 N Center Street
Mount Olive, NC 28365
Phone:
919-658-2971
Business Hours:
Monday-Friday
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Licensed & Insured
Professional License Numbers:
HVAC: 2483
Electrical: 23870-L
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E.T. Ferrell & Son proudly serves the following areas: Goldsboro, Mount Olive, Pikeville, Fremont, Rosewood, Dudley, Seven Springs, Faison, La Grange and surrounding areas.