How To Achieve More Efficient Family Heating And Cooling
Energy bills represent one of the largest line items on your family budget. They also represent one of the biggest contributors to your family’s carbon footprint. As a result, it is in your best interest to make sure you are getting the most for your money when it comes to controlling your home’s climate.
The best way to maximize your savings on your utility bills is to make sure your house and heating and cooling appliances are operating at peak efficiency. Using these tips from local professionals can help you maximize your family's comfort while minimizing your utility usage.
Is Your Home Insulated Enough?
Insulation is one of the main features of your home that keeps you separated from the outdoor environment. Insulation helps keep conditioned air cool in the summer and heated air warm in the winter. It can degrade over time and become ineffective at stopping heat transfer.As it settles inside of wall cavities it can allow drafts in and out around windows, light fixtures and electrical outlets. Modern insulation is designed to last longer than its predecessors, so if you are planning a renovation it’s a good idea to update your insulation in your walls.
Even if you are not planning a renovation there are steps you can take to enhance your home’s insulation. Most homes are designed with an unfinished attic space between the roof and the living space. Attics are designed to keep heat from transferring down into the home’s occupied areas.
To accomplish this most attics are insulated with a combination of rolled and blown insulation. Over time blown insulation in the attic can settle and lose its insulating properties. More insulation can be blown in on top of existing insulation to restore the insulating capacity of your attic. Improvements in insulation can be a big upfront investment but with modern technology, it will pay off over the life of your home's unit by preventing common HVAC problems.
Curtains and Screens Can Help Too
One of the simplest tricks to improve your family’s heating and cooling efficiency is to install and use blackout curtains around your windows. Curtains can help with cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. During the summer, one of the most important things a homeowner can do is keep direct sunlight from beaming into the home.
Shading windows with blinds or curtains is a simple way to reflect that heat back outside. This will reduce the load of your cooling system. During the winter, curtains can be left open during the day, particularly in south-facing windows, to take advantage of the sunlight to warm the home.
At night the curtains should be closed to prevent drafts from entering the home, since windows typically allow heat transfer faster than your walls. This will allow you to take advantage of free solar heat during the day while keeping you from losing heat through the window’s glass overnight. Heavy, insulating curtains can help maximize your home’s efficiency in both the summer and the winter.
Rely on Your Fans for Quick Cooldowns
Another cheap way to help keep your home comfortable year-round is to use house fans, whether they are installed or portable. Fans are cheap to operate and help keep the conditioned air mixed with unconditioned air.This helps take the load off of your home’s heating and cooling system. In the summer, fans should spin so that air is pushed downward towards the room. The air rushing past your skin helps your body cool itself quicker and makes you feel more comfortable.
In the winter, the direction of the fan should be reversed so that air is pushed upwards toward the ceiling. Reversing the fan keeps you from feeling the air rush past your skin but it allows cool air to be pushed upwards into warm air that tends to pool at the ceiling.
After the air is pushed upwards, it will travel back downwards around the edges of the room. This will keep you from feeling the fan draft but it will maximize the mixing of warm air near the ceiling and lower the heating load on your heating equipment.
About Carmine's Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning
Carmine’s Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning is a full-service, licensed plumbing and HVAC contractor in Danbury. Their technicians are available 24 hours a day for emergency repair. They also offer maintenance services to keep your family heating and cooling equipment running at peak efficiency.
