January’s arrival means we find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of winter weather. Your first inclination when you feel a chill in your home may be to crank up the heat. This could mean more energy consumption, resulting in higher electricity bills.
Freeze! Don’t touch that dial! We have some tips to help you feel warmer in your home without adjusting your thermostat’s temperature.
Layers of Comfort
This piece of tried-and-true, motherly advice is an effective way to stay warm and cozy inside, as well as outside. Wearing multiple thin layers of clothing, rather than a single thick layer, works to keep you warm by trapping warmer air between layers.
Putting on a light jacket or extra pair of socks when you’re relaxing at home gives you a way to adjust your comfort level without adjusting your thermostat. Adding or shedding a layer might be just as effective for your personal comfort as turning the heat up or down a couple degrees—without making your heating system do the extra work!
Utilize Your Curtains
Opening your curtains on a sunny day can have a small warming effect in your home, as the sun shines onto your windows, heating the glass. Closing them at night or when it’s cloudy out will help insulate and keep cold air out. Blackout shades with thermal lining are even available from some retailers.
Add Style and Warmth with Area Rugs
Placing area rugs on floors do more than elevate the look of the room. They can also help prevent heat from escaping through the floor. Additionally, rugs provide a warmer surface to walk on rather than a cold, bare floor.
Seal Cracks and Crevices
Cold air can creep into your home through cracks and crevices in rooms. While it may be obvious to use draft stoppers along the bottoms of outside-facing doors, there are other areas you should think about sealing, too.
Cool drafts can seep into your home through power outlets. Outlet insulators are a simple, inexpensive way to remedy this problem. These foam sheets are placed behind outlet plates to help keep warm air in and cold air out. They are easy to install and can be found at most hardware and many general merchandise stores.
Run Your Ceiling Fan in Reverse
Did you even know this was an option? Most ceiling fans have a reverse setting, allowing you to reverse the direction of circulation. When fan blades circulate in a clockwise motion, an updraft is created, pushing warmer air near the ceiling down in a room. This will help you utilize the warm air your heating system is producing more efficiently, reducing the need to turn your thermostat up even higher than it’s already set.
Have Your Heating System Checked
Routine HVAC checks and maintenance keeps your heating system in the best working condition. This helps your unit run as efficiently as possible, heating your home effectively and lessoning the need to frequently adjust your temperature setting.
GVEC makes maintaining your system affordable and easy with our HVAC Spec Check™ program. HVAC Spec Check offers regularly scheduled seasonal maintenance.
For more information about HVAC Spec Check or other HVAC services GVEC offers, visit gvecACservice.com, or call 866.684.2359.
