8 Tips to Lower Your Holiday Heating Costs

Energy costs can skyrocket during the holidays. In the winter, home heating accounts for a significant portion of your energy consumption. Let's explore eight ways to reduce that usage and avoid a big bill.

1. Schedule a Heating Tune-Up

Schedule a heating tune-up in the fall ahead of the cold weather and the holidays. Tune-ups involve a multipoint inspection and a comprehensive cleaning of your heating equipment. Preventive maintenance reduces the risk of heating problems during the winter. A tune-up also helps maximize efficiency and lower how much fuel and/or electricity your system uses.

2. Book Water Heater Maintenance

Don't overlook water heating. It's essential to home comfort, and water heaters in unheated spaces have to work harder during winter. If you have a traditional water heater, you need to flush the tank. This will remove all the sediment and limescale that can drive up your costs.

Limescale is a big concern for tankless water heaters, too. These heaters don't have a tank where buildup accumulates, but limescale builds up on components and in tubes and pipes. Descaling is an important service here. This involves using a recirculating pump to run a water-vinegar solution through the system. That will remove all the energy-sapping limescale.

3. Invest in a Programmable or Smart Thermostat

If you don't yet have one, it's time to invest in a programmable or smart thermostat. These thermostats support automatic temperature adjustments and can lower your heating costs by 10%. Opportunities to save include when you're sleeping and out of the home.

Choosing an ENERGY STAR thermostat may let you claim a rebate that offsets some or even all your costs. You should also consider a smart thermostat over a basic programmable model. These offer additional energy-saving features, including energy monitoring.

4. Set Up a Holiday Schedule

Maximize your savings by setting up a thermostat program that reflects your holiday schedule. Pick your temperature setting carefully because every degree is an opportunity to save. Be mindful that you may not need as high a setting during the holidays. Many households host large gatherings, cook more often, and dress warmly, which can mean you can drop your thermostat a few degrees without reducing comfort.

Set up an away mode for when you'll be outside the home. Lowering it by a few degrees while you're away can make a big difference. Activate your system's vacation mode when you'll be away for 48 hours or more.

5. Check Your HVAC Filter Often

There can be a lot of dust in the home during the holidays. This can make your HVAC filter clog a lot faster. A clogged filter increases system pressure, causing the system to work harder and increasing heating costs. Check it at least once a month and even more often when you're hosting big gatherings. Swap it out with a fresh filter as needed.

6. Run a Humidifier

Relative humidity measures airborne water vapor within the context of temperature. RH influences how we feel about temperature. Air is naturally drier during the colder months, and running a furnace can exacerbate that. A humidifier will increase the RH for greater comfort. Whole-home humidifiers are ideal. Portable humidifiers are less convenient but will do in the short term.

7. Run Your Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans aren't just for the summer. They help to even out your heating and may let you lower your temperature by a degree or more. Just be sure to avoid wind chill. To do that, set them to the lowest fan speed and a clockwise direction. Ceiling fans for vaulted ceilings are too high for wind chill to be a concern. You can leave them in the summer setting.

8. Take Advantage of Natural Light

Sunlight through a window can heat a room by 3 to 5 degrees. That's a significant amount of heat you don't have to pay for. It also helps provide your home with better illumination throughout the holidays.

Home Heating Specialists in Radford

New River Heating & Air has helped homeowners in Radford and throughout the New River Valley save on heating since 1986. Our technicians install, maintain, and repair all heating systems and cooling technologies, including ductless types. That includes boilers, furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioners, and mini-splits. We specialize in indoor air quality, including testing, duct cleaning, air purifiers, UV lamps, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers.

Our team also installs and services standby generators and tankless water heaters. Call today or contact us online to learn more or to schedule an appointment.

Naomi Pluchel