Use this helpful guide to make sure that you stay warm and comfortable inside your home when temperatures drop outside during the winter. All these tips and advice can help you lower your heating bills, too.

What you can do to help keep your home warm

• The most important thing to always keep in mind is: Make sure that your home is insulated properly. This may seem daunting but there are many simple steps that you can take to insulate your home, which are detailed below.

• Blocking as many gaps as possible where heat can escape is critical to keeping your home warm. The attic is one of the most overlooked but important areas to ensure that all gaps are covered or sealed. However, by sealing door bottoms, putting plastic over windowsills, or taping around older window frames, sealing these gaps will help keep heat inside your home. For a more complete solution to blocking gaps, have your home inspected by a professional who may also find areas that are not apparent to you.
• Thick curtains or drapes covering windows in rooms throughout the home prevents heat from escaping and keeps your home warmer.
• Use large rugs or wall-to-wall carpeting to increase your home’s insulation capabilities. These will keep floors warmer than hard floor coverings like wood or tile, help prevent your heating system from working harder to heat rooms, and provide a warmer surface to walk on all winter.

What heating and energy experts can do to help you keep your home warm.

To really keep your home warm during the winter months, it pays to consult with heating and energy audit experts who come to your home equipped with the best ways to save you money on heating bills. These are some of the problems and solutions they can discuss with you to help you do it:

• If you have an older boiler or furnace, it may not be running at maximum efficiency, is in danger of major repairs or even replacement sooner rather than later. A new or properly maintained boiler or furnace will run at peak efficiency and help you save on heating costs in the winter months.
• If your home feels colder than normal, your thermostat may not be sending the correct signal to your boiler or furnace. Since thermostats are mechanical and electronic instruments, it’s advisable to have a heating expert decide if your thermostat is functioning optimally.

• Ensure that filters in ductwork throughout home heating systems are not clogged, which prevents the system from ventilating heat properly, leading to colder temperatures throughout your home. Home heating experts may suggest replacing filters and having them properly installed by a trained technician to maximize your heating system and heating budget all winter.
• Dampers are mechanisms that control airflow through your home heating system’s ductwork. Better airflow from the heating source increases temperatures throughout the home, while less airflow lowers temperatures. Home heating experts can either repair or install dampers to make sure that this system is running effectively to keep your home warm.

• If you have a fireplace and chimney in your home when not in use, they can be the cause of a large amount of heat loss. Installing fireplace plugs and making sure that fireplace caps are fitted to the chimney top will help prevent heat from escaping your home. And, always have your chimney inspected and cleaned annually.

Your local home service experts at Meenan are here to help you keep warm at home during the winter months. From boilers, furnaces, thermostats, ductwork, fireplaces, chimneys, and more, our team and their years of experience will make sure that your home is ready to handle winter and can advise on smart ways to save on winter heating costs, too. Give us a call today!