Your home’s heater is responsible for keeping you warm and comfortable during the extreme winter season. While it may be quite resilient, overworking your home furnace reduces its efficiency over time, thereby inflating your energy bills. Constant strain also results in costly repairs as the heater might tend to fail regularly and may even break down. The best way to maintain your home heater and ensure it runs optimally is by minimizing habits that overwork it.
4 Habits that Are Hurting Your Home Heater
1. Adjusting Your Thermostat Upwards when It’s Cold
One of the most common habits that strain your home furnace is regularly adjusting the thermostat upwards. Cranking up your thermostat when it is cold overworks your furnace unnecessarily as it does not result in faster heating. Your heater has to operate in balanced cycles to maintain the right temperatures.
By raising your thermostat settings higher than recommended, you overwork your home heater and expose it to faster wear and tear. To avoid the need for constant adjustment, find the ideal temperature for your home and maintain it. Doing so allows your furnace to run normally and efficiently.
2. Blocking the Vents
Vents facilitate even distribution of warm air around your home. Blocking vents with items like furniture and flowers or completely shutting them in unoccupied rooms restricts airflow around your home. Your home furnace will therefore strain to distribute warm air throughout your home.
Blocked vents may also lead to inadequate heating and cold spots or overheating in some cases. To avoid overburdening your home heater, ensure that you unblock the vents around your home to allow for the proper distribution of warm air.
3. Leaving the Home Heater on Throughout the Day
You overwork your home heater when you leave it running throughout the day, even when you are not home. Your furnace suffers unnecessary wear and tear, and you waste heat if you keep your heater running when no one is home. Consider lowering your thermostat at night and when no one is at home to avoid overworking your home heater. You can do this by getting a programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts to temperature changes.
4. Letting Cold Air into Your Home
A drafty home that lets in cold air will make your home furnace work extra hard to heat your home. Avoid letting cold air into your home by sealing air leaks in areas such as the crevices and holes on your doors and windows. You should also avoid leaving your doors or windows open as they allow cold air to get into your home. Always close your doors and windows to promote the efficiency of your home furnace.
Let Instant Air Technicians Install, Repair or Replace Your Home Furnace
With good maintenance and care, your home furnace will serve you efficiently for longer. You also realize cost savings in terms of repairs and energy bills. Ensure that you schedule professional maintenance annually to keep your home heater in good shape. If you need HVAC servicing, repairs, or replacement in Las Vegas, don’t hesitate to contact us at (702) 466-1884.