Ways to Reduce Your Winter Heating Costs in New York

Wintertime in New York can be brutal and long, burdening your home with endless, freezing weather. In order to combat the chilly bite of the air, you often bump up your thermostat, even though you know that your utility bill will be anything but friendly that month. Instead of spending your hard earned cash on spiked heating bills, here are some of the most effective ways to reduce heating costs in the New York winter.

Eliminate Drafts

Drafts can be your worst enemy when it comes to trying to heat your home. Not only does heated air escape the room, but cool air replaces it. This cool air causes the overall temperature of the room to drop, which in turn makes your heat kick back on more often. Basically, you are throwing expensive, heated air right out the windows, doors, and other gaps in your home’s framework.

To eliminate these pesky drafts, you can have your ServiceWhale contractor replace the weather stripping on your doors and windows. For added draft-protection, locking windows will reinforce the seal. Evaluate your door’s thresholds, and if you can see clear underneath the door, have your thresholds adjusted to the correct height. Also, consider any plugs or holes in your walls that have been patched with caulk, as caulk can chip and subsequently lose its ability to properly seal the hole.

Improve Insulation

Much like drafts, poor insulation can allow for heated air to escape and cool air to enter the home. When you use ServiceWhale to find a local and trustworthy HVAC contractor, this individual will be able to help improve the insulation in your home so that your energy costs will go down. For additional protection against the cold, ask your technician about insulating the access door to the attic, if you know that you will not be using the attic throughout the winter.

Seal Leaks in Ductwork

Heated air travels through the ductwork in your home, which can be much less effective and costlier when these ducts have leaks. Not only are you losing heated air, but the quality of your home’s air can be impacted in a negative way as ducts can accumulate dust and mold. An HVAC contactor will seal leaks and repair ductwork to reassure that your heated air is clean and not wasted.

Upgrade the Thermostat

Though this sounds like it would be a small and insignificant adjustment, one of the biggest ways to reduce heating costs is to invest in a thermostat that has a programmable feature. When you are able to program your thermostat to pop on and off during certain parts of the day, you aren’t wasting money to heat your home when it doesn’t need to be heated. This also removes the task of you having to fiddle with the thermostat every few hours to make yourself comfortable.

Also, by having a professional technician come out to inspect your HVAC systems, you can ensure that your furnace is working properly and efficiently. To help your family save money this winter in New York, find free quotes for local contractors on ServiceWhale.