With the colder weather settling in, the last thing you should have anxiety over is keeping a comfortable home. It would be great to be lounging around on the couch enjoying the cozy warmth of your home and not worrying about the colder weather outside. Of course, it typically doesn’t happen that way, and there are a few issues that could be happening in your home that could end up with you scheduling furnace repair or an unnecessary increase in your utility costs.
There are a variety 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 – the glass on your windows are cold from the outdoor temps and when the warm air makes contact, the indoor air becomes cooler. One way to help reduce the loss of heat 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 you live in an older home there’s a likelihood 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 harm your furnace. 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. 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 it requires weather stripping to take care of those gaps. As we mentioned with attic insulation, window and door gaps can force your furnace 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 201-268-5663.