As the temps continue to get cooler, the last thing you need to be concerned about is maintaining a comfortable home. Preferably, you would be spending the winter enjoying the comfort of your home and not worrying about the colder weather outside. Of course, things don’t work that way, and there are a few items that could be taking place in your home that could end up with you scheduling furnace repair or a higher than normal energy bill.
There are a number of causes for higher utility bills, but these are three of the more common ones we typically hear about at.
- Heat is getting out through the glass of your windows – when hot air comes in to contact with cold glass on your windows, it impacts the indoor air by reducing some of the heat. To help reduce the effect that the glass has on your cozy home, make sure you’ve closed your drapes during the evening hours and only open the drapes on windows that have light coming in during the day.
- Lack of attic insulation – if you live in an older home there’s a chance that there is a lack of insulation. This means you could be losing heat through your attic, causing your heating system to work harder than necessary, and could eventually lead to the need for a furnace repair. When you go to check out your attic’s insulation, you’ll want to see if the insulation is even or below the joists. If it is, you’ll likely want to add some more insulation.
- Gaps in windows and doors – sometimes these gaps are more obvious and visible to the naked eye or large enough to feel drafts coming in, but sometimes that may not be the case. Take a closer look at all of your windows and doors to determine whether weather stripping is needed take care of those gaps. Just like it is with attic insulation, window and door gaps can require your heating system to work harder, making the possibility of furnace repair later even greater.
Hopefully, these tips help you determine any potential issues in your home that impacts your comfort. If you’d like to speak with our professionals about your furnace or indoor comfort, give us a call at 239-214-0411.