Winter in Birmingham means holidays spent with loved ones, hot cocoa, and the less pleasant freezing cold temperatures. When it gets cold here, we know that you rely on your heater more than ever to keep your home comfortable. Just because you want your home toasty, doesn’t mean that you have to pay sky-high heating bills during this season, there are some very simple and effective ways to boost the efficiency of your heater this winter—we’ve listed some of the best ways below. If you try these tips and don’t see the desired results, try contacting a heating contractor in Birmingham—particularly a professional from our team. We’re always meticulous and diligent workers that aim to make satisfied customers.
Here’s How You Can Save this Winter
Utilize that Ceiling Fan
This tip might come as a surprise. When you think about a fan, it’s likely that you’re thinking about cooling in the summer, but your ceiling fan can help aid your heater in the winter. Ceiling fans don’t cool down a room, the sensation of air traveling across the body cools you. In the summer, the blades turn and push air from the top of the room down to create a breeze across your body. So, in winter, a ceiling fan can be switched to reverse (a toggle on the base of your fan) to turn counterclockwise so that the blades draw air from the bottom of the room to the ceiling and push down the heated air gathered there.
When you want a little extra heating power this winter, turn your ceiling fan on and set it to low.
Change Your Air Filter
If you notice that you’re not getting the type of heating power that you want in your home, change your air filter. A dirty, clogged up air filter doesn’t allow your heating system to distribute warm air to the rooms in your home at full capacity. You should change your air filter at least once every season and ideally more if you’re really putting your HVAC system to the test.
Schedule A Tune-Up
An annual tune-up for your heating system greatly boosts your efficiency. You’ve probably heard people sing the praises of tune-ups from many different outlets and people are such big proponents of this service because it allows a professional to assess your system and ensure everything is running at peak condition and presents an opportunity to fix any minor heating issues before they become big problems.
Upgrade Your Thermostat
Are you still setting the temperature in your home from a digital, programmable thermostat? While this type of thermostat might get the job done, new smart thermostats on the market go above and beyond when boosting the efficiency of your system. Smart thermostats allow you to set the temperature you want in your home from your smartphone, tablet, computer, or anywhere you have access to WiFi. They also have the ability to highlight opportunities for you to save on energy costs. Smart thermostats are smart because they have the ability to learn how you like to heat and cool your home and come to anticipate your needs over time. A smart thermostat system works with you.
