Everyone enjoys saving money, but it can be difficult when it comes to winter heating. Heating costs are a large part of the expenses for a homeowner to combat our freezing winters in North America. So what can you do?
There are many ways to keep toasty warm while
keeping your heating bill at a reasonable level. Here are nine tips for staying
warm while saving some cash
- Efficient
Heating:
The most efficient form of heating is low wattage convection heating.
This is the reason the Envi heater was invented. To take the place of or to
supplement the high energy furnace that almost all North American homes use.
The furnace, while outputting copious amounts of heat is not designed to be
efficient. What we mean by this is that one furnace is used to heat an entire
home or place of business. Every room, every nook and cranny is heated. But
often we do not need all this space warmed, just the areas that we use. Central
furnace heating is especially inefficient when we try to warm a cold room at
the end of the ducting run by raising the thermostat. The best way to combat
this problem is to use an efficient room heater in these areas that needs to be warmed. This
can keep you toasty while the rest of the
house is not using up excess heat, and by
extension, money.
Envi
wall mounted heaters
are an excellent solution and were designed
specifically to solve the problems mentioned above.
- Lower
Thermostat at Night:
Many people leave the thermostat up while sleeping,
but this is not needed. If you only turn down the heat by ten degrees or so,
you can
save
up to 10%
on your annual heating bills (U.S. Department of Energy). And
when you turn down your central thermostat, make sure you install efficient
room heaters such as the
Envi
wall mounted heater
to supplement the room where you are sleeping or
working.
- The Sun: It is an excellent source of
temperature control no matter what season it is. Make sure to open up any
curtains in windows facing the south during the day to take advantage of this
free heat. However, don’t forget to close
those same curtains after the sun sets to
ensure that heat stays within your home.
- Furnace
Maintenance:
Nobody likes to change the furnace
filters
and many people put off doing
so. Don’t be one of the people who does
this. Yes, it will cost you money to buy a new filter, but your heating system
will work better. You will also end up
saving money in the long run without all that dust and debris clogging up the
works of your furnace. Many of our customers have reported that once they start
to “spot heat” their house using heat where and when they need it, their
furnace does not come any where near as often as before.
- Ceiling
Fans:
Many people do not know this
secret, but fans can help with heating in the winter. In the summer, running a
ceiling fan in a counter-clockwise
direction helps push hot air up. However,
in winter, running it clockwise can help keep heat in the room. Make sure that
you turn any ceiling fans on a low setting to help push the air down toward
you.
- Don’t
Dry Out the Air:
Did you know that
moist air holds heat better? It is true.
In winter you may find that the air begins to feel very dry. One way to take
advantage of this is by running a humidifier in rooms where the furnace is
running. You will feel much more
comfortable, even if your thermostat is set
at a lower temperature than usual. Another option is to use houseplants to increase the humidity of your
dwelling. Another way and something a lot of our customers don’t realize is
that by using their
Envi
wall mounted heaters
the air in their home will not dry out as much
compared to traditional furnaces or other space heaters. The reason is due to
the low wattage and much lower heating element surface temperatures. It is the
very hot surfaces of the central furnace coils and space heater elements that
dry out the air. The same is true for wood burning stoves and fireplaces that
have very high temperatures. Consider using the Envi heater to not only retain
moisture but also to help with your families health. By not drying out the air
during the winter, the Envi winter helps respiratory problems, dry skin and
“dry eye syndrome”.
Using these tips, or even just a few of them, will give you some relief when it’s time to
pay your heating bills plus you and your family members will feel much more comfortable in your home and not be fighting
over the thermostat – a win-win for everyone. Stay warm this winter!