With the temps dropping, the last thing you need to be concerned about is maintaining a comfortable home. In an ideal world, you would be able to relax in a warm home and not even concerned with the cold temps. Of course, it typically doesn’t happen that way, and there are a few things that could be taking place in your home that could end up with you scheduling furnace repair or an unnecessary increase in your utility costs.
There are several causes for a rise in your energy expenses, but these are three of the more common ones we typically hear about at.
- Heat is getting out through the glass of your windows – when the warm air in your home reaches windows that are cold from the outdoor air, it impacts the indoor air by reducing some of the heat. An option to help minimize that impact is to make sure you’ve closed your drapes during the evening hours and only open the drapes on windows that have light coming in during the day.
- Lack of attic insulation – with older homes there’s a possibility that it doesn’t have enough insulation. This means you could be losing heat through your attic, which in-turn makes your furnace work harder, and could eventually lead to the need for a furnace repair. You can easily check if you have enough insulation by looking in your attic to see if the insulation is below or even with the joists. When the insulation is even or below the joists, it’s likely your attic needs some additional insulation.
- Gaps in windows and doors – it’s not always easy to tell by just taking a quick look if there are large gaps. Take a closer look at all of your windows and doors to establish whether you need to add weather stripping to take care of those gaps. Similar to attic insulation, window and door gaps can make your furnace work harder, making the possibility of furnace repair later even greater.
We hope these three tips can help you identify any problem-spaces in your home that could be inhibiting the comfort of your home. Our experts are available to answer any of your questions about furnaces, repair or indoor comfort, give us a call at 641-316-3360.