Heating Your Home
During the winter a comfortable temperature for adults is between 65º and 70º. If you are away from your home for more than a few hours at a time, lower the thermostat to 58º. Having a programmable thermostat is a great investment in homes with forced-air systems. To make sure your furnace is efficient and can "breathe" easily, change your filter once per month during the heating season.
Keep The Cold Out
Heating systems essentially are replacing heat that is escaping. To keep the costs down, focus on places where air escapes.
Floors, walls, ceilings
Electrical outlets
Plumbing penetrations
Ducts, fans, and vents
Be careful not to block heating registers. Move furniture away to allow heat to circulate better. Avoid closing too many registers or doors to unused rooms. This can cause restrictions of air movement and cause your furnace to run inefficiently.
Doors
Seal leaks around doors and windows with weather stripping to keep cool air from entering your home.
Windows
Open drapes and shades during the day to let sun in and close them at night to keep the cold out. If you can afford to install storm, thermal, or double-pane glass windows, you will feel a great difference in comfort and efficiency.
Fireplaces
Consider fireplaces that have tempered glass and a heat-air exchange system that blows warm air back into the room. Open fireplaces are not efficient and most of the heat will go up the flue and out the chimney. Keep the damper closed when the fireplace is not in use!
