How to Alleviate the Load on Your Heating System

Your furnace or other heating system doesn’t get that much of a workout in our area, but we do have our cold snaps, and so it’s wise to do all we can to lower wintertime energy demand. One way to lower your bills this winter is to reduce the heating load in your home.

The heating load is HVAC terminology for how much capacity a heating system needs to reach a set point on the thermostat. By reducing heating load, you not only save money on energy, but also reduce demand on the equipment so that parts last longer.

Following are some simple ways you can make your home more efficient so the furnace doesn’t need as much energy to reach a comfortable temperature.

Air Seal the Home

Conditioned air will leak out and unconditioned air will find its way inside if your house is not well sealed. Bills will spike unnecessarily. Check for drafts around doors, windows, electric light switches, recessed lighting, openings for wires, cables and pipes, and around baseboards. Apply insulation, caulk or weather stripping to seal leaks.

Insulate Better

It’s a bit challenging to check insulation in walls, but you can do it by turning off the power to an electric switch, removing the switch plate and shining a light into the cavity next to the switch box onto the adjacent insulation. If you need help, ask your HVAC consultant for advice on thickness, type of insulation and how to add more. In the attic, make sure insulation covers joists. Adding attic insulation will not only keep your heating from wafting through the ceiling and being wasted in the attic, but will also keep your home cooler in the summer.

Repair Ductwork

Ductwork is usually out of sight so you may not be aware that yours has started leaking conditioned air through cracks, gaps and holes. Inspect it yourself or have it inspected and repaired.

For more information, contact Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions. We’ve provided quality service to Orlando, Cocoa Beach, Titusville, Merritt Island and Melbourne since 1969.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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