With the temps dropping, the last thing you should have anxiety over is maintaining a comfortable home. Preferably, you would be spending the winter enjoying the comfort of your home and not even concerned with the cold temps. Of course, it may not be that easy, and there are a few things that could be happening in your home that might result in a need for furnace repair or an unnecessary increase in your utility costs.
There are a variety of causes for higher utility bills, but we are highlighting a few of the more common ones we encounter.
- Heat is getting out through the glass of your windows – the glass on your windows are cold from the outdoor temps and when the warm air makes contact, it impacts the indoor air by reducing some of the heat. An option to help minimize that impact is to make sure you’ve closed your drapes during the evening hours and only open the drapes on windows that have light coming in during the day.
- Lack of attic insulation – if you live in an older home there’s a chance that there is insufficient insulation. This means you could be losing heat through your attic, which in-turn makes your furnace work harder, and may 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. Be sure to thoroughly look at all of your windows and doors to establish whether it requires weather stripping to take care of those gaps. Similar to attic insulation, window and door gaps can force your furnace to work harder, increasing the chance of furnace repair down the line.
These are just a few tips to help you determine any potential problem areas in your house that could cause heat loss. Our experts are available to answer any of your questions about furnaces, repair or indoor comfort, give us a call at 979-323-6130.