As the temps continue to get cooler, the last thing you should have anxiety over is keeping a comfortable home. In an ideal world, you would be able to relax in a warm home and not worrying about the colder weather outside. Of course, it typically doesn’t happen that way, and there are a few items that could be occurring in your home that could end up with you scheduling furnace repair or trying to figure out why your bill is so high.
There are several 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 the warm air in your home reaches windows that are cold from the outdoor air, that air loses some of its heat. An option to help minimize that impact is to make sure that you close your drapes during the evening hours and make sure that your windows are receiving light during the day before opening them.
- Lack of attic insulation – if your home is older, there’s a possibility that it doesn’t have enough insulation. This means you could be losing heat through your attic, causing your heating system to work harder than necessary, and may eventually lead to the need for a furnace repair. It’s not hard to determine if you have enough insulation, take a look and see if the insulation is below or even with the joists. When the insulation is even or below the joists, you’ll likely want to add some more insulation.
- Gaps in windows and doors – it’s not always easy to tell by just taking a quick look if there are large gaps. Be sure to thoroughly look at all of your windows and doors to determine whether you need to add weather stripping to take care of those gaps. Just like it is with attic insulation, window and door gaps can require your heating system to work harder, increasing the chance of furnace repair down the line.
We hope these three tips can help you identify any problem-spaces in your home that could be inhibiting the comfort of your home. If you’d like to speak with our professionals about your furnace or indoor comfort, give us a call at 843-485-0967.