Jun 7, 2021 | Heating, Home Maintenance
Your furnace is an essential part of keeping your home comfortable. Unfortunately, people often miss the early warning signs that they need to replace their furnaces.
This can cost time, hassle, and money on your energy bills. Regular maintenance and inspections can increase the lifespan of your furnace because, rather than opting for replacement, a simple furnace repair could be all it takes.
Here are the main signs that you need to replace your furnace.
Your Furnace is More than 20 Years Old
There’s significant debate over how long a furnace should last. On average, a well-maintained furnace should last for twenty years before it needs to be replaced.
Even if your furnace is still operating after 20 years, it’s wise to invest in a replacement to maximize efficiency and to take advantage of the latest technology.
Your Heating Bills are Increasing
Perhaps the biggest sign that a furnace is about to come to the end of its natural lifespan is rising heating bills. Rising heating bills could mean that your air ducts are not properly sealed, or it could mean that the internal parts of your furnace are beginning to wear out.
Older furnaces cause your heating bills to rise because they need to work harder to maintain your desired temperature.
Hire a professional if you notice a spike in your heating bills.
Your Furnace Needs Regular Repairs
If during the last two years you have had to carry out more than a couple of repairs per year, it is time to get a new furnace.
The cost of regularly repairing your furnace will quickly surpass the cost of a new furnace. Compare prices to see if it’s a cost-effective decision to make.
An easy way to tell whether it’s worth purchasing a new furnace is if the repair bill is more than 50% of the cost of a new furnace.
Your Furnace Makes Strange Noises
The running costs of a furnace make up almost 51% of a home’s energy consumption, alongside air conditioning. A telltale sign that your furnace is becoming problematic is to listen to the sounds it’s making.
Rattling, popping, and banging are just some of the sounds your furnace should never make. Furthermore, if your blower appears to be turning itself on and off regularly, this is another sign that your furnace needs to be completely replaced.
Your Furnace is No Longer Keeping You Comfortable
Do you frequently find that your rooms are too hot or too cold? Are you adjusting your thermostat every few minutes to reach your desired temperature?
This means your furnace is no longer distributing heat properly around your home. While it could indicate that your thermostat is faulty, in most cases, it’s a sign that your furnace must be replaced.
Conclusion
The cost of a new furnace can be expensive, but in the long-term investing in a new furnace could save you money. Whether you’re bleeding money on biannual repair bills or higher heating bills, it’s time to consider upgrading to a modern furnace.
Contact an HVAC professional in your local area for a full inspection of your home’s furnace.
Last updated Apr 13, 2021 | Heating, Home Maintenance
If you live in a harsh-climate area and have to endure really cold winters, using electrical equipment like radiators is inevitable. To keep electricity bills at a minimum, many avoid using them altogether, choosing to endure the painful cold instead. However, you don’t have to bear the cold to keep yourself warm. There are plenty of ways you can keep your costs at a minimum and stay warm.
Here are five such effective ways to keep the cold from entering your house.
Switch to a Modern Heating Appliance
Buying a new radiator altogether may not seem very cost-effective, but it’s the best way to reduce your costs in the future. Investing in a modern radiator will require less maintenance and power costs. There are many great options on the market for you to choose from. Opting for an eco-friendly heating appliance also reduces your individual carbon footprint. Using a modern heating appliance can help you maintain the room temperature without constantly changing the setting. Take your time to choose the right radiator and replace your old one with the one that is more efficient and reduces your monthly bill amount extensively.
Get Your Home Checked By an Expert
Having your home checked by an expert can help in many ways. First, getting an energy audit done will let you know how much energy each appliance is consuming in your home. Second, they’ll check your entire house for areas where cold air from outside could potentially enter your house. Based on these changes, you’d make your house more energy-efficient and reduce indoor heat loss.
Insulate Your Home Well
Whether your home is old or new, keeping the cold out is dictated by the level of its insulation. Any cracks or gaps between walls, window panes and doors will allow the cold to come in and drop the room temperature. Insulating well can help maintain the warmth of your room without having to crank up the radiator time and again.
You could either get your home insulated by technicians or could do it by yourself. First, go around the house looking for any gaps or cracks. Run your fingers over any noticeable areas and check if you can feel any air. If you do, you can either put duct tape over that area or fill it up with a silicone gun.
Do the same for doors and windows. You can even buy rubber panels by yourself and stick them under doors and around windows. Glass can also let in outside heat and should also be insulated. To do this, simply take a piece of cling foil and stick it from end to end of the glass. All these steps will significantly improve your home’s insulation.
Use Foil Sheets as Reflectors
Air isn’t the only way the outside cold can come inside your house. They can also drop your room temperature by reducing your radiator’s efficiency. Radiators are designed to warm your room walls and use them as a medium to keep the entire room warm. Should your radiator be placed against a wall that faces an outside wall, the heat will disappear due to the outside cold air. This is neither efficient nor cost-effective.
To increase your radiator’s efficiency, simply stick a tinfoil sheet at the back of the radiator. Since it’s a good conductor of heat, it will act as an extension to your radiator and direct the heat to your room. This way, you manage heat loss through the walls and keep your room temperature maintained.
Place Flaps on Vents and Ducts
Cracks and gaps under doors aren’t the only way outside air can get inside. Vents and ducts, including your air vents and dryer ducts, can also provide a space for cold air from outside to enter your house. The best way to fix this is to place flaps on your vents and ducts.
These flaps can act as barriers or uni-directional valves that only allow air to go out and not in. If necessary, you can seal some of the ducts and vents using a silicone gun or rubber panels to completely close any space, which could result in your home’s heat loss.
Conclusion
Using these five methods is highly effective in maintaining your home’s warmth and restricting any outside air from coming in. Not only will it make it more comfortable for you inside your home, but it will also reduce your monthly electricity bill amount.
Last updated Feb 6, 2021 | Heating, Home Maintenance
Did you know that 75% of families regularly argue about the thermostat?
It’s tough enough keeping everyone happy during the summer months. But winter heating could be an even larger battle — especially if your home isn’t prepared for the frigid temperatures.
In this post, we’ll offer four actionable winter heating tips you can use to stay cozy at home. Grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and keep reading!
1. Upgrade Your Insulation
All of your valiant efforts to keep your house warm will be in vain if it isn’t properly insulated. Cold drafts will suck the heat right out of your home, or it will escape through the attic.
Before the next winter sets in, take time to add some spray foam, fiberglass, or other types of insulation to your home. This is also the time to replace weatherstripping, change the filters in your heater, and get the furnace serviced.
Not sure about the status of your home’s insulation or what kind of options are available? Contact insulation contractors in your area for an evaluation.
2. Reverse Your Ceiling Fan
Ceiling fans keep us cool in the summer, but did you know they can also be a valuable asset to your winter heating efforts?
Think back to your 7th-grade science class. Remember learning that heat always rises? Reversing your ceiling fan to a clockwise direction will push warm air down and spread the heat evenly throughout the room.
3. Switch to a Smart Thermostat
Experts estimate that or every degree below 70 you set your thermostat, you’ll save as much as 5% on your energy costs.
This sounds great, but how can you make it happen in reality? The best way to reduce your energy bill and keep your house comfortably warm is to make the change to a smart thermostat.
You can program it to heat up your home before everyone wakes up in the morning. Then, once everyone has left for school or work, it will “cool off” and cut down on your energy usage until everyone returns home again. You might even be able to program different areas of your home to maintain different temperatures.
4. Embrace the Hygge Lifestyle
Have you heard of hygge? If not, be prepared to fall in love with this Danish lifestyle (pronounced HOO-gah).
It’s no secret that Denmark has long, cold winters, so Danes have had to find ways to stay warm during those frigid months. Their solution? The hygge lifestyle embraces everything that is soft, warm, cozy, and comfortable.
We’re talking thick fuzzy socks, oversized sweaters, velvety soft throw blankets, and pillows everywhere. Candles and soft lighting are a must, as well as your favorite hot beverage. By enveloping yourself in warmth and comfort, you might even start looking forward to those chilly winter months.
Stay Warm With These Winter Heating Tips
Winter heating might seem like a yearly battle, but it doesn’t have to be. Use the suggestions listed above to keep a comfortable winter heat temperature in your home — no matter how cold it gets outside.
Now that you’ve got the best tips for running the heat and staying warm, what’s next? Keep browsing our site for more great home and lifestyle advice!
Last updated May 4, 2021 | Heating
When it comes to heating their homes, Americans’ preferences vary quite a bit. Nearly half of all Americans use natural gas to heat their home, but a little more than one-third also use electricity.
Fifteen percent of southern homes — and four percent of homes throughout the country — don’t use any heaters at all!
Not ready to eschew your heating system altogether? Do you need to find a good heating system for your home?
If you’re not sure which type of heater to purchase, keep reading. Listed below are some tips on how to choose the best heating system for your home.
Types of Heating Systems
When you’re shopping for a heating system for your home, one of the first things you need to think about is the type of system you want.
There are many different types of heating systems, but the following are some of the most popular options:
Furnaces
A furnace is one of the most common options for a home heating system.
Furnaces blow heated air through a duct system and distribute it throughout your home. A furnace is usually known as a forced-air heating system. They run on different fuel sources, but natural gas and electricity are the most popular options.
Furnaces can be highly energy efficient, especially if you install a programmable thermostat to help you control the temperature. Installing a programmable thermostat also helps to increase your home value!
Hybrid Furnace
A hybrid furnace is a type of furnace that works very well in climates where the temperature dips below 30-40 degrees.
Hybrid furnaces have a principal power source and an alternate power source that kicks in when the demand on the system increases.
For example, the system may run on electricity most of the time, which is the more energy efficient option. When the temperature drops too low for electricity to work efficiently, though, the system will switch over to natural gas, oil, or another fuel source.
Boilers
A boiler uses natural gas, propane, or electricity to heat water.
When the water is heated (it doesn’t actually boil, despite the name of the system), the boiler moves heat through the home using a radiant heat system. It may use anthracite radiators, baseboard heaters, or panels in the walls, ceilings, or floors.
Boilers are just as energy efficient as furnaces, and they do not circulate allergens the way furnaces can.
Heat Pumps
According to this guide, heat pumps are another popular option for a home heating system.
Heat pumps use refrigerant and absorb heat from outside sources. They then use a heat exchanger to transfer that heat inside.
Heat pumps are highly energy efficient. In fact, they’re more energy efficient than furnaces or boilers.
You can run them year-round, too, since they can reverse the exchange of heat and cool your home down during the summer.
Other Factors to Consider
The most important thing to think about when shopping for a heating system is the type of system you want and need for your home. There are plenty of other factors to consider, too, including the following:
Brand
There are tons of different brands of heating systems out there.
Once you decide on the type of heating system you want to purchase, you should do some research to learn about the different companies that manufacture that type of heater.
Check to see which company has the highest ratings and the fewest customer complaints.
You may have to pay a little more money for a reputable brand, but the extra costs upfront can be worth it if they minimize the number of repairs you have to pay for later on.
Climate
Think about the climate in your area, too.
If you live somewhere that doesn’t get very cold, you might be able to get away with a more affordable or less efficient heater since you won’t be using it very often.
If you live somewhere that gets very cold, though, you’ll likely want to spend a little extra money to make sure you’re getting a highly reliable, energy efficient heating system.
Budget
When it comes to shopping for a heating system, it’s best not to buy the cheapest system you can find.
After all, if you buy a cheap system but have to have it repaired every winter, you might end up spending more than you would if you had just bought a slightly nicer model.
Of course, your budget still matters, though. Set a budget before you begin shopping. That way, you won’t fall in love with a system that’s way out of your price range. You can view UK boiler costs here and start budgeting for your new boiler.
Installation
Think about the installation requirements of a system before you purchase it, too.
If you’re going to have to install ductwork or make a lot of changes to the structure of your house in order to make the heating system fit, that’s going to add quite a bit of money to your final bill.
If you’re working with a tight budget, try to find a system that can easily integrate with your home.
Professional Advice
Finally, consider reaching out to an HVAC technician and asking them what they think.
A professional can let you know what type of heating system will work best for your home. They’ll likely be able to recommend a high-performing, high-quality brand of heater, too.
If you’re struggling to decide between two different systems, a professional opinion can serve as an excellent tie-breaker.
Time to Choose the Best Heating System!
As you can see, there are a lot of different heaters that you can choose from.
Now that you know more about the options available to you and the factors you need to consider, it’s time to pick out the best heating system for your home!
Do you want to learn more about repairing or updating your home?
Whether you’re interested in renovations or decor, we’ve got lots of helpful information available on our site. We even have articles on unique ways to heat your home!
Check out this article on the benefits of purchasing a wood burning stove for your home today.
