Improving your home's energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways to beat the costs of staying warm in Fort Wayne, where winter temps dip well below freezing. Many of the steps you can take to do this are simple and budget-friendly.
Tune Up Your Heating System
Every fall, schedule a professional inspection for your furnace. Issues you may not immediately notice, such as loose wires, improper motor voltage/amp draw and a dirty burner, cut your system's energy efficiency. During a routine inspection, your technician will correct these issues as well as spot safety risks, such as a blocked flue or cracked heat exchanger.
Keeping your air filter clean helps ensure proper airflow, improving your furnace's efficiency by five to 15 percent. Once a month, pull out the filter and hold it up to a light. If you can't see light shining through, change the filter. Thin fiberglass filters usually require monthly replacement.
To make sure the warm air from your furnace actually reaches your rooms, have your air ducts professionally sealed and insulated. The average duct system leaks as much as 30 percent of its air, but thorough duct sealing can bring this amount down to five percent.
Keep More Warmth Inside
Cracks and gaps around your windows, doors, utility line penetrations and other areas let warm air escape, forcing your furnace to use more energy to make up for the loss. To reduce this heat loss, apply weatherstripping to the moving surfaces of doors and windows, and caulk around non-moving surfaces, such as window frames and pipe penetrations.
Air leaks in your attic should also be sealed. After this, if you have less than around 16 inches of fiberglass batt insulation in your attic, consider adding more. A well-weatherized attic helps reduce heat lost as warm air rises.
To find out whether or not your walls and floors could use additional insulation, contact a heating and cooling professional for a home energy evaluation.
For help boosting your home's energy efficiency, contact us at Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning in the Fort Wayne area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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