How To Make Sure Your Heater Is Energy Efficient

A home heater or furnace makes use of energy to generate and deliver heat. If it can deliver more heat with a certain quantity of energy, the heater is more efficient. Furnace makers work so hard to design products that can burn fuel more efficiently while using the lowest amount of energy to run the components that deliver heat to the whole house. So, the first step is to get a heater that is more energy efficient and to do heating repair often. Focus on AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating when buying.

The ratings start from 80 percent to 98.5 percent. These percentages point to the ratio of the heater's annual fossil fuel that is turned into exploitable heat. Thus, if you want the highest performing model, you should buy a furnace with a 98.5 percent rating. The highest efficiency unit doesn't suit every home though. It is only sensible to buy it if you live in an extremely cold area. Besides getting the most efficient heater you can afford, there are other ways to make it more energy efficient. They are outlined as shown below.

Always turn off your thermostat when you go out

If you want to reduce your energy costs, run your furnace less often in winter. When going to bed or outside, for instance, reduce your home temperatures using programmable thermostats. These are automatic devices that you can reduce or increase temperature levels to suit your needs. When you go to work or away on a vacation, the home doesn't need to be too warm, so you can set a schedule for the temperature to be reduced during your absence and increased to your favorite levels when you come back.

Do not allow cold air to enter the house     

If you let cold air to keep on getting inside the house, the heater is going to overwork to keep you warm. It is going to consume more fuel to produce enough energy to warm your home and this will reduce its effectiveness. There two heating repair options in this case. First, you can insulate your walls to trap warm air inside your house. Second, you can close gaps in windows and doors using weather stripping. Taking either action might help keep the air inside the house from drying.

Don't ignore annual heater maintenance

If you want your heating system to operate efficiently, keep it in a good working condition. This includes carrying out a heater inspection and heating repair once a year. Waiting until your system fails can be risky and inconvenient. It might happen in winter when you really need to keep your home warm. Always have your system inspected and repaired prior to winter months as this could lower the odds that you will forget to have annual maintenance done. It is during this time that air filters will be changed to make your HVAC system run flawlessly.

Finally, ensure that nothing obstructs your vents to ensure even distribution of warm air. If the items that are blocking warm air cannot be moved, then it will be better to choose different heating options.

For more information, get in touch with a company such as Bergmann Heating & Air Conditioning.


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