5 Money-Saving Winterizing Tips for Your Orlando Home
One of the easiest ways to reduce your home heating bills in the Orlando area is by winterizing your living space and making it more efficient to heat. With these money-saving winterizing tips, you can keep your heating costs reasonable without sacrificing comfort.
Keep Your Heating System Maintained
Be sure to check the air filter on your heating system at least once a month. You should also cean or replace it when it becomes dirty or clogged. At the start of the season, have your HVAC contractor inspect your system and perform routine maintenance checks to make sure your system is running safely and efficiently.
Insulate Your Windows
Make sure to install storm windows or cover drafty windows with clear window film or bubble wrap. You can also add curtains or drapes and keep your windows closed at night to prevent heat loss. Open them during the day to allow the sun to naturally warm your home.
Seal Air Leaks
Add weatherstripping on your doors and windows to seal any moving parts and apply caulk to any non-movable joints. Use a combination of caulk and expanding foam insulation to seal around pipes, electric lines, dryer vents, exhaust fans and other openings in your home’s outer walls.
You should also add foam gaskets behind the face plates of outlets and switches inside your home. Next, add door sweeps or snakes to the bottom of exterior doors to prevent drafts.
Install a Programmable Thermostat
Set your thermostat between 65 and 70 degrees while you’re home and awake, and then reduce the temperature by 10 or 15 degrees while you’re away from home or asleep to save up to 20 percent on your heating bills.
Add Insulation
In the Orlando area, you should have insulation levels of R30 to R60 in the attic, R13 to R19 in the floors and R13 to R21 in the walls. Check your current levels and have more insulation added if necessary.
For more money-saving winterizing tips, talk to our team at Rinaldi’s Air Conditioning Service. We have been serving Orlando and the surrounding areas 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). For more information about money-saving winterizing tips and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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