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When you’ve decided to invest in a brand-new furnace for your home, you obviously will want to get the most value out of it that you can. Depending on how responsible you are in taking care of it, your heating appliance can either have very positive effects on your household or very negative ones. The good news is that you have a lot of control over which of these outcomes becomes a reality. To be sure you’re getting the best results from your new furnace, there are a handful of steps that you can take.
1. Avoid Overworking the Furnace
The more wear and tear a furnace accumulates, the more likely it is to malfunction or break down and the less efficient it’s going to be with energy usage. It’s natural for a furnace to gradually wear down over years of use, but it’s important to avoid consistently overworking it. One way you can achieve this is by giving your new furnace a break whenever possible, even if only for a few hours.
One simple option is to just lower the thermostat by about seven to 10 degrees every night when you go to bed. Lowering it by this amount for eight hours each night while you’re under the covers can save you up to 10% on your heating bills. Another great way to give your furnace a break is by utilizing the curtains that cover the windows and glass doors in your home. Curtains are effective at keeping heat trapped inside the house, so by closing them in the evening, you may be able to turn the thermostat down a few degrees. However, in the daytime, if the sun is shining, you can open up all of your curtains, allowing that natural warmth from the sunlight to fill your home.
2. Clean or Replace the Air Filter
Within your furnace is an air filter, which has the important job of keeping things like dust and dirt particles from clogging up the workings of the appliance. Over time, though, the filter will collect so much of that dust and other debris that it will itself become clogged up. This forces the furnace to work much harder to pull air through, causing it to use up more energy and become more likely to need repairs down the road. However, you can avoid that scenario by simply taking the time to clean or replace your air filter on a monthly basis.
3. Stay on Top of Maintenance
To consistently operate at peak efficiency and effectiveness, your furnace needs to be regularly checked up on by a professional. These maintenance visits should be scheduled once a year, and they should entail an inspection and tune-up to improve the health and efficiency of the appliance. When inspecting your heating system, an expert technician can evaluate the furnace and all of its components and determine if it’s at risk for energy waste or a breakdown. These tune-ups are an investment as they will not only keep your furnace healthy both now and in the long run, but they will also save you a significant amount of money on your energy bills. In the greater Chesapeake, VA, area, our trained technicians at Simmons Heating & Cooling can perform this type of regular maintenance at an affordable price.
4. Invest in a Humidifier
Usually, the air tends to become much drier during the winter months, both outside and inside your home. When the air is lacking moisture, it’s harder for heat to circulate effectively, which causes us to perceive it as being colder than it actually is. However, if you purchase a humidifier for your home, it will significantly raise the level of moisture in the air, quickly making the home feel warmer. Just like that, you will have the opportunity to give your furnace some rest and lower the temperature on that thermostat.
Since 1964, we at Simmons Heating & Cooling have been providing reliable and friendly service to Chesapeake and its surrounding areas. In addition to our 50-plus years of operation, we are proud to have over 30 employees, 20 vehicles, and many thousands of happy customers. For those not currently in need of heating services, we’re also glad to offer full cooling services as well as generator installation. We would be thrilled to add you to our long list of satisfied clients. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment and get the process underway.
