Ready to reduce your home’s heating cost? This is especially important for those outlying cities like North Scottsdale, Carefree & Fountain Hills that get extra chilly in the winter months. Remember, heating and cooling make up about half the energy used in your home, so you’ll want to pay attention to some simple money saving tips listed below.
When you live in a scorching region like North Scottsdale, Carefree, or Fountain Hills where the air conditioner is cranked up a good four, five, or six months of the year, it’s important to do what you can to reduce your overall air conditioning and heating cost in North Scottsdale. As the cold winter months approach, there are many things you can do to make your system work more efficiently and ultimately reduce your heating costs, including:
- Change your filter every month, especially as it gets colder and you’re using your heater more. Definitely don’t let more than three months go by without changing it. When your filter is dirty, air flow slows down and your system is working much harder to keep you warm. That increases your energy bill and is taxing on your system.
- Take advantage of a programmable thermostat. This allows you to set the temperature cooler at night when everyone’s asleep and during the day if everyone’s away. Simply set it to warm up about 30 minutes before you get home. A programmable thermostat can save you up to $180 a year. In conjunction with this, use extra blankets or electric blankets at night.
- Seal and insulate ducts. Ducts are what move air to and from a furnace or heat pump. Sealing them properly can improve heating efficiency by about 20 percent.
- Replace heating units that are more than 10 years old or not heating your house as they should be. When it’s time to replace, an ENERGY STAR unit is highly recommended. They deliver the most efficiency and can trim your energy bill by about $200 every year.
- Caulk around windows and doorframes so cold air can’t leak inside. If you have central heating, wrap heating ducts with insulation and seal the seams with mastic. Doing this can cut about 10 percent off your heating bill.
- Be efficient with your water heater. Warming up your water accounts for about 18 percent of your energy bill — the second largest after heating and cooling your house. There are four options when it comes to making your water heater more efficient and cut costs: use less hot water (take shorter showers, don’t run the washing machine and dishwasher unless you have full loads, etc.), turn down the thermostat of your water heater (set it to 115 to 120 degrees), insulate your water heater, or buy a new model if it’s time. Water heaters generally last about 10-15 years.
- Close the damper on your fireplace. Otherwise, warm air will be pulled out of the room and create a draft.
- Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans. If you set them to go counter-clockwise, warm air will be dispersed down into the room.
- Tune up your HVAC system at the start of the season. Much like going in for your yearly physical or getting your car tuned-up, your heating pump and furnace should undergo normal maintenance and tune-ups by a professional HVAC company in North Scottsdale like Scottsdale Air Heating and Cooling.
These are some great tips on how to keep you and your family warm during the winter months! Be sure to share this article with any of your friends looking for ways to reduce their heating cost too. If your home is in need of a tune up before the temperatures really drop, give Scottsdale Air Heating and Cooling a call 480.359.7141.
