Creating A More Comfortable Home

During the freezing winter months, most people want their homes to be warm and comfortable. However, heating costs are a real concern for many families, so it can be stressful to balance keeping the house at a certain temperature while still being able to pay the monthly heating bill. Luckily, there are a number of things that homeowners can do to make their residential heating system run more efficiently so the house stays toasty without excessively high heating costs. If you have a gas heater in your home, use the following tips to help it run more efficiently:

Schedule a Tune-Up

Gas heaters get a lot of use during the winter months in cold climates, and the wear and tear can begin to take its toll. If you run your heater year after year without ever having it tuned up, it will eventually become less efficient and will need to work harder and run longer to keep the house warmed up. One easy way to avoid this from happening is by having your heater tuned up each year by an HVAC technician. Regular maintenance and tune-ups will help keep your home's heater in optimal condition so it operates as efficiently as possible.

Take the Time to Weatherize Your Home

If cold air from the outside is seeping into your home, it means that you have to run your heater more often and spend extra money to keep your house at your preferred temperature. If you have extra money to invest, you may want to seriously consider upgrading the insulation in your home. When upgraded insulation is not an option, there are a few things that you can do to weatherize your home, such as putting weather strips on all exterior doors and hanging heavy curtains on the windows to help improve insulation in your house.

Buy a Smart Thermostat

For decades, homes were equipped with standard thermostats that needed to be adjusted by hand each time a homeowner wanted to change the temperature. New smart thermostats make it so much easier to control when your heater runs so you don't waste money heating your home when it is not needed. Many smart thermostats can be programmed, so you can choose when the heater runs. For example, you can turn your thermostat down during the day if the house is empty and set the heater to begin running at a higher temperature just before everyone arrives home. Some smart thermostats can even be controlled by an app, so you can adjust your settings whenever you like.