Practical Ways to Save on Home Heating This Winter

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Heating an entire residence for the duration of a bitterly cold winter can be a very costly exercise. Since many of us have grown so accustomed to paying an arm and a leg in wintertime heating costs, we’ve simply come to accept exorbitant heating bills as a fact of life. While there’s no magic wand solution for high heating bills, there are a number of practical measures you can take to massively reduce your utility costs this winter season.

Annual Roof Inspections

Roof maintenance should be a priority for every homeowner. Given how expensive replacing a roof can be, it’s in your best interest to keep yours in prime condition for the foreseeable future. Of course, in order to do this, you’ll need to have your roof thoroughly inspected at least once a year and stay on top of roof-based maintenance tasks. 

Winter weather can do a number on even the most resilient roofing. When a roof is constantly immersed in moisture or buried beneath piles of heavy snow, the formation of holes, warping and other issues is highly likely. In addition to compromising the structural integrity of your roof, holes can provide cold air with a clear entrance and warm air with a clear exit from your home. Furthermore, if roofing issues are allowed to linger for long enough, a full-on roof collapse may be the end result. 

To nip roof problems in the bud, make a point of having your home’s roofing professionally inspected at least once a year. A seasoned roofing expert will be able to identify and repair a plethora of emerging issues before they’re able to become much costlier headaches. Not only does this stand to reduce your cooling costs, it can save you from having to shell out a king’s ransom in repair bills.  

Promptly Patching Drafts 

Quite a bit of cold air can enter your home via drafts in your door and windows. Additionally, the more air that’s able to escape, the harder your furnace will have to work to account for the fluctuation in temperature. As such, it’s in your best interest to promptly patch any drafts you come across. Fortunately, you needn’t be a professional handyman to complete this task in a timely and stress-free manner. Draft stoppers, weatherstripping and foam tape are just a few of the cost-effective patching tools that can solve your draft problem.    

Regular Furnace Maintenance 

Having your furnace serviced at least once a year can be a great way to keep it up and running for the foreseeable future. The more consistent you are with service visits, the more efficiently (and cost-effectively) your furnace will be able to run. 

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “What is a furnace?,” you may not be the best person to perform maintenance on your home’s furnace. This is why enlisting the aid of knowledgeable heating and cooling professionals is strongly recommended. These individuals will be able to identify and repair small problems, thereby preventing them from becoming larger issues, and make helpful recommendations on how best to maintain your furnace. 

Of course, this isn’t to say that annual service visits will prevent every possible problem from occurring. While these visits will certainly go a long way in staving off a wide variety of issues, they shouldn’t be regarded as an end-all solution. Whenever you encounter a furnace issue, regardless of how inconsequential it may seem, you’d do well to reach out to professionals. For instance, if your furnace is not heating the home, it might be due to a fuel shortage. To avoid such a situation, especially during the peak winter months, the professionals at romeosfuel.com recommend ordering heating oil in advance. The regular supply will ensure you don’t struggle with these minor issues.

The sooner the problem is remedied, the less likely it is to develop into something more pressing and cost you a fortune to repair. After all, it’s better to spend a little now than an enormous sum in the long run.     

Wintertime heating bills are nothing to sneeze at – particularly if you hail from a colder part of the country. When your only options are paying a small fortune in utility costs or freezing your tail off, it’s liable to feel as if you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. While heating your residence throughout the winter months is bound to set you back a little, it needn’t leave an enormous hole in your finances. By utilizing the measures discussed above, you can set the stage for a comfortably heated home and sensible utility costs all season long.  

 

Jeff Campbell
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