Heating a home in Southern Vermont doesn’t always come cheap. There are a lot of great heating systems out there that have outstanding efficiency ratings. There are also ways in which to improve efficiency by improving your home itself. That being said, you still may run into higher heating costs than you anticipated at the start of the heating season. Whether your heater has significantly dropped off in overall efficiency or you just have a hunch that you’re paying more than you should, there are a few factors to consider.
In today’s post, we’ll explore some of the potential causes behind reduced heating efficiency in Woodstock. We’ll also clue you in on some ways in which you can resolve those problems. With our help, you’ll be heating your home in a more affordable manner in no time. Winters around here are too long and way too cold to compromise when it comes to heating energy efficiency. Keep more money in the bank while keeping your home cozy.
Leaky Air Ducts
If you use a forced air heating system, such as a furnace or a heat pump, then you use ductwork in order to deliver heated air throughout your home. If those air ducts are not kept in great working condition, then there is no way in which you can hope for your heater to heat your home evenly and efficiently. You’ll be leaking heat out of the ducts and into cooler areas surrounding them!
Having your ductwork professionally tested to pinpoint the source of leaks and professionally sealed to stop those leaks is the only way in which to deal with the problem effectively. You cannot seal your ducts on your own. And no, despite its name, duct tape should never be applied to ducts! It deteriorates very quickly.
Dirty Filters
Again, this one is specific to forced air heating systems. If the filter in your forced air heater is too dirty, then the heater is going to work harder than it should have to in order to distribute heat throughout your home. That is going to result in decreased energy efficiency.
Your filter may be dirty enough to cause your furnace to overheat or your heat pump’s evaporator coil to ice up. That can lead to short cycling, in which your heater will start and stop too frequently. This, in turn, results in further inefficiency! Air filters are cheap and easy to install, so make sure that you’re replacing yours every 1-3 months.
Insufficient Maintenance
This one stings, because routine maintenance is something that we advocate for so hard. If you do not schedule annual heating tune-ups, then there is just no way in which you can hope to enjoy peak heating efficiency. Your heater works too hard every year to ignore its maintenance needs.
Routine maintenance is the single best step you can take not just for heating maintenance, but to ensure as reliable and effective a heating performance as possible. Leave your heating maintenance to the pros on our staff.
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