“15 Quick Tips to Slash the Cost of Heating Your Home”

By Don Drake, owner of Drake Siding & Sunrooms, one of the oldest family-owned home improvement businesses in Illinois

Fact: Heating your home is one of the largest costs you probably have, next to housing, medical, and automobile costs ...

Here are several quick tips that can save you big money this year. What will you do with the extra cash you will save? After all, it’s your money—you earned it. Don’t give it to the energy company!

Install proper insulation. Make sure ceiling insulation is at least R-38. Walls should be R-11.
Wrap your water heater. This is especially important if you have an older water heater.
Have your yearly check-up done on your furnace system. Your heating contractor can make sure that you system is working efficiently and safely.
Clean and replace furnace filters. Clean filters allow better heating efficiency.
Seal off fireplaces that you don’t use. This can be a source of major heat loss.
Seal air leaks electrical outlets, light switches, and plumbing. Foam gaskets are available at your local hardware store that will help to reduce this type of energy loss.
Install a programmable thermostat. You can program it to automatically lower nighttime temperatures.
Check caulking and weather-stripping. Repair any leaks to minimize air exchange.
Close foundation vents. If your home has a crawl space, make sure cold air is not flowing underneath your floors.
Close doors to rooms that you don’t use. The less space you are heating the better.
Check airflow to heat pump. Many times, shrubs can block the air airflow and will need to be pruned.
Install ceiling fans. Air circulation distributes heat efficiently.
If installing new appliances, always check the efficiency labels. These labels provide useful information about the product’s energy use and annual operating costs. You can usually quickly recoup the extra cost for higher efficiency appliances.
Replace old inefficient windows. Choose windows that have both low U-values (insulation) and low solar heat gain coefficiency (SHGC).
Use your utility company’s budget billing plan. This will protect you against dramatic price. increases, by having you pay a set amount each month.

Bonus Safety Tip: Make sure you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed and that they are operating properly. Carbon monoxide and smoke can be deadly.

Best Wishes,

Drake Siding & Sunrooms

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