Home heating during the winter can be seen as a huge energy suck, raising your electric bill to exponential heights. When a friend passes on some information they have read online about how to lower your heating costs, you may want to try it out immediately. However, reading tips and tricks online can be a minefield of truth and misconception. Remember, while the internet is a fantastic place to find all the knowledge you may need, it is comprised of many people with opinions or myths they share. While many heating myths aren’t harmful, some may actually raise your electric or gas bill before you know it.
Top 3 Heating Myths Debunked
Myth #1 The higher the thermostat, the quicker your home warms up.
When your home is cold, you want it to warm up as quickly as possible. Many people have taken to the idea that if they turn up their thermostat, your house will be warmer quicker than if you turn it on at an average temperature. This is not the case. What this does is tells your furnace or heater that it needs to burn more to supply the heat you requested, effectively expending resources and eventually making your home too hot.
Myth #2 Closing Vents Will Reduce Your Electric Bill.
People believe that in closing your vents, the heater will work less and only heat the rooms with open vents. While this is kind of true, it can still lead to higher bills. Your furnace or heater will actually work twice as hard trying to heat up all of the home through the available vents.
Myth #3 Using space heaters in active rooms is cheaper than running a heater in general.
This sounds logical. Using a small space heater, you should be able to warm up the room you are in, lowering your bill. However, space heaters run off of your electricity. Another failing is that your space heater will not turn off when it is done heating a room. It remains on for long periods of time, raising your bills steadily.
Remember, in order to keep your home warm, make sure you have your heating system inspected and maintenance performed. This will extend the life of your heating system and provide opportunities for reducing energy costs. Do you need maintenance? Call Total Comfort Cooling and Heating today at (478) 781-9107!
