How You Can Help Minimize the Heat Leaving Your Home

With the colder weather settling in, the last thing you want to have to worry 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 issues that could be taking place in your home that might result in a need for furnace repair or an unnecessary increase in your utility costs.

There are several causes for higher utility bills, but we are highlighting a few of the more common ones we encounter.

1. Heat is getting out through the glass of your windows – when hot air comes in to contact with cold glass on your windows, that air loses some of its heat. To help reduce the effect that the glass has on your cozy home, make sure you’re closing your drapes during the evening hours and make sure that your windows are receiving light during the day before opening them.
2. Lack of attic insulation – with older homes there’s a chance that there is insufficient insulation. This means you could be losing heat through your attic, causing your heating system to work harder than necessary, and could eventually result in 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 that’s the case, it’s likely your attic needs some additional insulation.
3. 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. Similar to attic insulation, window and door gaps can make your furnace work harder, increasing the chance of furnace repair down the line.

Hopefully, these tips help you determine any potential issues in your home that impacts your comfort. If you have any questions about furnaces, furnace repair or other ways to combat heat-loss, give us a call at 814-308-0416.