Summer is winding down, and soon people across the country will begin cranking up the heat. Every year around this time, people ask: How can I save on heating costs?

How to Save on Heating Costs

Here are a few simple but effective methods you may want to consider:

1) Plug holes in exterior walls:
Often times, pipe and cables entering your home will leave gaps around them that have been improperly filled. These gaps will allow air to flow in and out of the house, raising your heating costs. This can be fixed by filling in these gaps expanding foam.

2) Get a new thermostat:
A good way to save on heating costs during the colder months is by upgrading to a programmable thermostat. These thermostats can be set to lower the temperature when nobody is home, and to begin raising it before anyone gets home. This way, your home is always warm when you’re there, but you aren’t wasting money by running the heater when you’re gone. This strategy can also be utilized when you’re asleep.

3) Utilize Mother Nature:
Most people don’t think of this, but a good option for saving on heating costs is to utilize the sun’s heat. If you keep your windows open and allow sunlight to come into your house, you can run your heater less often and still keep your home warm.
4) Get new windows:
If you live in an older home with outdated windows, it is highly likely that a lot of heat is escaping through them. By upgrading to more energy-efficient windows, you will be able to keep heat trapped inside your house and save a lot of money on heating costs.
5) Get glass doors for your fireplace:
If your home has a chimney, a lot of heat is probably escaping your home through it. In order to rectify this and save a lot of money, install fitted glass doors in front of your fireplace and keep them closed whenever the fireplace is not in use.
6) Bundle up:
This suggestion is simple, yet effective. During the colder months, instead of running your heater all day, you can simply bundle up in warm winter clothes. When you’re lounging around the house, cover up with warm blankets! In order to make this easier for you and everyone in your home, keep blankets and coats stashed around the house so there is always one close by!
7) Don’t heat unused rooms:
If there are rooms in your home nobody ever uses, you can save a bunch on heating costs by sealing off the vents in those rooms and increasing energy efficiency throughout the rest of the house.
8) Invest in better insulation:
If you’re worried about heat escaping your home, you can buy inexpensive insulation from any local hardware store and cover up any areas you’re worried heat may be escaping from.
9) Buy a humidifier:
Have you ever been to the Deep South in the summer time? If you have, then you understand this suggestion. Humid air traps more heat, and increasing the humidity in your home will make your home feel a lot warmer for a much lower price!
For more information on energy-saving HVAC options, contact us today.

Don’t Go Broke Like Last Year: Save on Heating Costs the Easy Way
jbenbrook

The term energy management can fall into several different categories. The management system mentioned in this article is relative to saving energy in the public sector and inside residences.

Using Energy Managment Systems:

Energy management is a procedure used in order to control, monitor and in the end conserve energy inside of a building. Just like any system a series of steps are used in order to attain the end result:

Step One: Energy consumption is measured using a meter. The data from the meter is subsequently collected.

Step Two: The responsible energy consumer finds ways to save energy. He or she estimates how much energy is being used. The smart consumer uses the information as a means to find opportunities to save energy. One scenario is analyzing the data on the meter. Analysis could lead to quantification of basic energy waste. Another means of assuring energy efficiency is replacing the existing equipment–an example is lighting. Another way a consumer may save energy-wise is to attain insulation that proves more energy-efficient.

Step Three: The energy efficient consumer makes it a point to identify energy savings opportunities such as upgrades where equipment is lacking from an energy standpoint. The opportunity that yields the best result is the place to start an energy savings campaign.

Step Four: The energy efficient consumer tracks the specific process of his or her related energy savings activities. One way to do it is to analyze the data on the meter to determine how well energy saving efforts are working.

Once the first energy opportunity is carried out with success, the energy cycle repeats itself, starting at the second step, making use of the next energy-savings opportunity.

The wise energy efficient consumer knows not to use energy management incorrectly. Some consumers make it a point to work with existing equipment. Such a plan merely looks at how a piece of equipment performs as it relates to energy consumption–it does not cover energy matters such as using newer energy-efficient equipment in order to save a great deal of money.

The above four-step process applies either way – it’s entirely up to the consumer whether he or she buys new equipment or reviews improper use of existing equipment.

In summary, if an energy aware consumer is working at reducing energy consumption and is still making use of his or her existing equipment or if he or she is installing new energy efficient, equipment, the steps mentioned above are systematic and will make planning and maintaining a more energy efficient environment a reality.

Follow our blog to learn more about energy management systems and other ways on how to make your heating and cooling systems run more efficiently.

Managing Energy Provides The Consumer With Abundant Cost Savings
HVAC Specialist

I think it is pertinent that we LISTEN, rather than SELL what we have in stock!

This is about addressing the customers’ needs, real and perceived, not making a sale. An educated customer is a satisfied customer! We listen to what you are thinking.  As you articulate your needs, we listen carefully to what you have to say. All details are important:

• What rooms are warm or cold?
• Where are you really comfortable in your home and how much time do you spend there?
• How different areas of the home are utilized by your family?
• Is there a space which you would like to “reclaim” as living space; be it a sunroom, basement or over garage area?
• Whether you have children and/or older family members living at your home
• Whether there are family health issues to be considered for Indoor Air Quality
• What type of energy saving measures have you addressed in the last few years?
• What your energy bills have been over the past year
• What is really important to you: efficiency, the environment, cost, or a balance of all?
• What your budget looks like for the project you are looking at
• Whether you would like financing as an option
• What brands of equipment you are interested in
• Whether you are a new home owner, just getting to know your home; or planning to put your home on the market in the next few months or years

All of these considerations are important to providing you with the heating, cooling and indoor air quality products which will be a satisfying investment for comfort and efficiency throughout the seasons.  Give us the chance to listen to your needs.  Contact us today to let us help find the perfect heating or cooling solution for you.

Let Woodacre Listen to Your Needs

When you think about saving energy, do not imagine your efforts have to be high-tech or burdensome. Many of the moves you can make to cut down on energy use and utility bills are actually very simple, small, and effortless. Here are some of the simplest to help you save money and be environmentally friendly this winter.

Energy Savings Tips for Winter and Beyond

A lot of the steps you can take are effective throughout the year, including the way you approach your laundry routine. For instance, do you clean out the lint catcher after every load? An empty lint tray makes your machine more efficient and prevents overheating, so get rid of the build-up frequently.

Unless you are washing very dirty items such as heavily soiled towels, run all of your washing through a cold cycle. This will save money, but also protect clothing. Fabrics wear down more slowly when washed in cold water than when they are subjected to high temperatures. Moreover, cold water is more effective for killing germs than warm water. Consider using the dryer for less time and choosing a cycle that turns off automatically when a sensor detects that moisture has been taken care of.

When it comes to warming-up your food, turning on the oven to heat small items or keep them warm as you wait for kids and spouses to get home from work is a drain on electricity. Buy a microwave and re-heat small amounts of food at one time, using very little electricity each time.

Wash your dishes in the dishwasher as usual, but use a booster heater to keep your general water temperature low. This way you are not constantly maintaining the tank at a high temperature.

When you shower, try not to get lost in thought. As enjoyable as the feel of hot water is, force yourself to shut off the water a little earlier and save money.

More Possibilities

There are always more ideas for cutting energy costs, including lowering your thermostat by just a degree or two and wearing more clothing. If you liked these ideas, check back with us often for more HVAC and energy savings tips in the future.

Energy Saving Tips For Winter
HVAC Specialist

Despite the fact that energy prices are climbing, you can still save money. If you make a few adjustments, you can save money and energy. Below are some tips for controlling home comfort costs:

Use Programmable Thermostats

One of the most cost-effective things you can do to save money on your energy bill is to install a programmable thermostat. These thermostats will automatically reduce and decrease the temperature at certain times. Programmable thermostats are also fairly easy to install.

Weatherproof Windows

You can prevent air from leaving your home by keeping the windows insulated. There are a variety of materials you can use to insulate your door, including self-adhesive foam, felt and vinyl. You should consider replacing your windows if they have deteriorated greatly. Do not use metal-frame windows because they have a tendency to conduct cold air in your house.

Weatherproof Doors

The doors in your home lose twice as much energy as the windows. Frequent openings, harder to seal thresholds and their large surface area are some of the reasons doors often lose energy. The good news is they can be weather-stripped and sealed just like windows.

Keep Your House Cool

Metal and white cement roofs are the best choices for keeping your home cool during the summer months. You can also help keep your house cool by using attic fans or whole house fans. Additionally, shade trees and awnings help keep your house cool. You may not have to rely on your air conditioner as much if you make those changes.

Strengthen And Maintain Your Garage Doors

Garage doors can create even more problems than regular doors. Warped wooden garage doors and flimsy metal garage doors can cause your home to lose heat at an alarming rate. Fiberglass models and better-insulated, heavier wood require quality components that are well-maintained.

Change The Furnace Filter

Your furnace filter needs to be changed at least once every few months. Changing the furnace filter not only helps you save money on your energy bill, but it also helps your furnace last longer. Dirty filters cause your furnace to work much harder.

Call us for additional energy saving solutions.

If Energy Prices Continue To Escalate, What Would Be Most Effective In Controlling Home Comfort Costs?
HVAC Specialist

Most homeowners find that implementing more efficient HVAC equipment into their home is a great idea. After all, saving money on energy and fuel costs is something every homeowner strives towards. However, there are often problems when trying to improve on HVAC Efficiency, especially for the northern states.

One problem occurs when switching out a combustion furnace for the more fuel efficient condensing furnace. Rated by the U.S. Department of Energy, or the DOE, with an AFUE rating of 90, a condensing furnace has the potential to help homeowners save money on their annual heating costs. The problem lies in the fact that to add this furnace into a home, costly modifications must be made. Modifications such as installing a new venting system can be quite a financial burden in addition to purchasing a new furnace.

Many homeowners also run into problems with homes that have limited exterior walls to work with. The fact that a condensing furnace has an AFUE rating of 90 means that it generally only wastes around 10 percent of the fuels used to operate it makes these furnaces a wise choice. An AFUE rating is the annual fuel utilization efficiency rating given by the DOE to determine the overall efficiency of furnaces.

The DOE has set out to enforce raised HVAC Efficiency Standards in order to protect our natural resources, and save homeowners money. At this time the enforced minimum AFUE rating for northern states is set at 78. This standard AFUE rating was set to be increased to 90 in 2013 by the courts. However, due to experts in the HVAC industry realizing the financial burden that would be placed upon homeowners for initial costs, this efficiency standard is currently placed on hold.

At this time the courts are determining how to enforce this raised efficiency standard without over burdening homeowners. After seeing the benefits of a furnace with an AFUE rating of 90, many homeowners have already installed new venting and furnaces. This will ultimately save them money in the long run. To learn more about installing a more fuel efficient heating system and to stay up to date on DOE efficiency standards, contact a local HVAC company.

Raising Efficiency Standards Has A High Initial Cost
HVAC Specialist