Tips to Save Money on Energy Costs This Winter

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When the weather outside starts to get legitimately cold, your first instinct is probably to crank the heater and worry about the cost later. Paying a bit more on your gas or electrical bill is preferable to living in a freezer for a few months, right? What if you could still keep your home comfortably warm without paying significantly more for it, though? With just a couple of simple steps, you could make your heating system more energy efficient this winter. Let’s take a look at how you can improve your heating situation.

 

Have Your System Professionally Checked

If you haven’t already had a professional examine your heating system in the past couple of months, you should have that done as soon as possible. A lot of homeowners wait to have a professional look at their systems, thinking that there’s no point in doing it before they notice a problem. That often ends up costing them more in the long run, though, since heating issues tend not to give any noticeable symptoms until they’re more advanced. By the time most homeowners realize that their systems are having issues, they are too late to actually prevent most of the damage. That means higher repair costs. If you really want to make sure that your heating system is in good shape, you need to have a technician catch problems as early as possible. That means scheduling preventive maintenance. Ideally, you should be scheduling preventive maintenance at least once every fall season. Still, it’s better to schedule it later on than to skip it entirely.

Call for Repairs if You Do Notice a Problem

Even if you do manage to have preventive maintenance done every year, there still may be problems that occur between those appointments. If you have reason to believe that your heating system is developing some kind of problem, don’t put it off until the next maintenance appointment. The longer the issue is allowed to develop, the more damage it could potentially cause. Call for repairs right away if you think your heater is having an issue.  

Upgrade Your Thermostat

Thermostats can potentially last decades before they break down entirely, but that’s not the reason that most of them get replaced. Homeowners typically replace thermostats when new advances in technology make upgrading more cost-effective in the long run. If you’re using a thermostat that’s older than ten years, you would probably be well served by upgrading to a new one. Modern thermostats have a ton of different features to recommend them, including wireless satellite units that can be carried room to room, and smart units that actually adjust themselves according to your climate control habits. Talk to a professional about how much you might benefit from upgrading to a new thermostat this winter. 

Magnolia Plumbing, Heating & Cooling offers comprehensive heating services in Rockville, MD. If you need heating services of any kind, whether it’s installation, repair, maintenance, or replacement, we can help. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our technicians.