If your heating system is too small to properly heat the space you have, you will likely find that your home’s heating requirements are too much for your furnace to handle. If it’s impractical or unreasonable to replace your existing furnace with a larger, correctly sized model, then your best option is to reduce the heating load of your house.
The “load” is the total amount of heating that's needed to keep your home at the desired temperature level. By improving your home’s energy efficiency, you can substantially reduce the total load. You’ll be able to run your furnace at a lower level and still be comfortable while saving money from reduced energy waste.
Try these tips to lower your home’s overall heating load.
-Find and seal air leaks. Check around chimneys, flues, exhaust fans, roofs, areas where the house frame meets basement or attic walls, and anywhere else gaps could occur and cause warm air to escape and cold air to leak in.
-Insulate walls, ceilings, basement, attic and crawl spaces. Add insulation to your heating and cooling system’s ductwork. Make sure sections of ductwork fit together tightly; seal connections with mastic or metal tape. Close up holes around pipes, wires or conduits that enter your home.
-Plug gaps between doors and widows and their frames with foam or rubber weatherstripping. Seal areas around glass panes with silicone caulking.
-Apply insulating window treatments that are designed to keep in heat during the winter.
-Install storm doors and windows to block cold air leaks and drafts.
-Have preventative maintenance performed on your heating and cooling system. Regular professional maintenance is critical to keeping your furnace or heat pump operating at its best levels. Change furnace filters monthly during the winter; fresh filters improve furnace efficiency and reduce breakdowns.
Since 1976, Comfort Services has provided residential and commercial heating and air conditioning services to customers in Columbia and the surrounding area. Contact us today for more information on lowering your home’s heating load and for the supplies and equipment to get the job done.
