Winter in Chesapeake is in full swing and the coldest days of the year are here which means your heater has been working hard to keep you comfortable and warm. If you have been spending more money than usual trying to warm up your home, don’t stress! We understand that winter can be a costly time for your HVAC unit, and we are here to guide you through it and save you some money. Below are 5 of the most common home heating mistakes to avoid during this time of the year:

• Closing The Vents In A Room
• Cranking Up The Thermostat
• Ignoring Leaks Around Your Home
• Failing To Clean Or Replace Air Filters
• Failing To Give Your Furnace Regular Maintenance

Closing The Vents In A Room

Although you may think that closing the vents in an unused room is relatively harmless, it is not recommended because it will build up pressure and direct it elsewhere throughout the duct system. Pressure buildup can lead to wear and tear of your heating system, making it more likely to break down. Additionally, completely closing the vents in a room will cause the room to naturally become colder than the rest of the house which will cause your furnace to work extra hard to try and warm up that room. Every time your furnace has to work harder than usual, it will consume more energy, increasing your overall energy bill.

Cranking Up The Thermostat

Contrary to popular belief, cranking up the heat won’t warm up your home faster. Instead, this will only cause your furnace to run longer, which will increase your energy consumption. Instead, try setting the thermostat to a moderate temperature and allowing your furnace to reach that target temperature at its own pace.

Ignoring Leaks Around Your Home

Failing to seal the leaks around your home is just as bad as leaving a window slightly open. This is because any kind of leak will allow cold air to slip into your home, decreasing its overall temperature and causing your furnace to once again, work extra hard to warm your home back up. If you notice a crack or leak around the walls of your home, we recommend you cover it up with caulking or weather stripping tape that can be found at your local home improvement store.

Failing To Clean Or Replace Air Filters

Ensuring your air filters are clean is important at all times of the year. During the winter, a dirty or clogged air filter will prevent warm air from blowing through and warming up your home. A dirty air filter can be harmful to your overall health because it allows harmful pathogens and other allergens to roam around the air that you are constantly breathing in. It is not uncommon for your indoor air quality levels to worsen if your air filters are dirty.

Failing To Give Your Furnace Regular Maintenance

We’ve said this a million times, and we will say it again: Maintenance is always key in the HVAC world. Regularly maintaining your furnace will ensure that everything is working properly which will prevent costly breakdowns that will blow a hole through your wallet. Some other benefits of regularly maintaining your furnace are:

• Ensures your system is running efficiently
• Prolongs the lifetime of your system
• Saves you money on energy bills
• Keeps you and your family members safe

The winter months don’t have to be filled with high energy bills. Your friends at Quality Contracting want to make sure you dedicate this time to enjoying the comfort of your home without worrying about how much money you are spending. Avoiding these five common heating mistakes will help make this possible. For heating unit repair in Chesapeake and surrounding areas, give us a call!