With the colder weather settling in, the last thing you need to be concerned about is keeping 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 occurring in your home that may require furnace repair or trying to figure out why your bill is so high.
There are a number of causes for an increase in your energy bill, but these are three of the more common ones we typically hear about at.
- Heat is getting out through the glass of your windows – when the warm air in your home reaches windows that are cold from the outdoor air, 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 your home is older, there’s a likelihood that there is a lack of insulation. This means you could be losing heat through your attic, which in-turn makes your furnace work harder, and could 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 that’s the case, you’ll likely want to add some more insulation.
- Gaps in windows and doors – as you are taking a look to see if there are any gaps around your doors or windows, keep in mind that they aren’t always easy to notice. Make sure to take a close look at all of your windows and doors to determine whether weather stripping is needed take care of those gaps. As we mentioned with attic insulation, window and door gaps can require your heating system to work harder, potentially upping the chance that you’ll need furnace repair.
These are just a few tips to help you determine any potential problem areas in your house that could cause heat loss. If you have any questions about furnaces, furnace repair or other ways to combat heat-loss, give us a call at 301-960-3247.