As the temps continue to get cooler, the last thing you should have anxiety over is sustaining a comfortable home. It would be great to be lounging around on the couch enjoying the cozy warmth of your home and not worrying about the colder weather outside. Of course, things don’t work that way, and there are a few items that could be occurring in your home that might result in a need for furnace repair or an unnecessary increase in your utility costs.
There are several causes for higher utility bills, 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 hot air comes in to contact with cold glass on your windows, the indoor air becomes cooler. An option to help minimize that impact is to make sure you’ve closed your drapes during the evening hours and make sure that your windows are receiving light during the day before opening them.
- Lack of attic insulation – if your home is older, there’s a possibility that there is insufficient insulation. This means you could be losing heat through your attic, which in-turn makes your furnace work harder, and might eventually lead to the need for a furnace repair. It’s not hard to determine if you have enough insulation, take a look and see if the insulation is below or even with the joists. If it is, you’ll likely want to add some more 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 decide whether weather stripping is needed take care of those gaps. Similar to attic insulation, window and door gaps can require your heating system to work harder, making the possibility of furnace repair later even greater.
Hopefully, these tips help you determine any potential issues in your home that impacts your comfort. If you’d like to speak with our professionals about your furnace or indoor comfort, give us a call at 605-206-3915.