When the cold weather descends on your home, do you start to feel anxious about looking at your monthly energy bills? After the fall, when you don’t have to rely much on your AC and the heater hasn’t yet turned on, you can get used to seeing lower energy costs. But if your winter energy bills do seem too high, it’s a good idea to ask yourself “why?”
You may have trouble with your heater, or perhaps you’ve fallen into some poor habits when it comes to using the HVAC system or how you manage energy consumption in the house. We’ll look at some causes for high heating bills and see what you can do about them.
A fault in the heating system
This is one of the first possibilities to consider. When a heater starts to malfunction, it will usually cause the HVAC system to work harder to do its job, and this drains more energy without providing additional heat. We often tell our customers to watch out for spikes in heating costs because they’re often the first warning that they need to call us for heater repair in Lubbock, TX.
The heating system is too old
This is the most extreme possibility, but it’s also one that every heating system will have to face eventually. Heaters have different estimated service lives based on their type: gas furnaces can last for around 15 years, electric furnaces for a bit more, and heat pumps for 10 to 15 years. If you have a heater that’s older than these estimates and you’ve got higher heating costs than you think you should, call our technicians to examine the heater and see if it’s indeed time to replace it with a newer and more energy-efficient unit.
The heater hasn’t received regular maintenance
Any heating system needs professional maintenance once a year, preferably in the fall so it’s ready to go before the first cold weather arrives. Neglecting maintenance will lead to the heater declining steadily, losing a percentage of its energy efficiency each season. If your heating bills have continued to climb each year, check that you’re arranging for maintenance—a lack of regular tune-ups is a common cause of a heater that’s expensive to operate.
The thermostat settings aren’t maximized
An easy habit to fall into when trying to heat your home is pushing the thermostat up warmer than necessary, or raising and lowering the thermostat multiple times during the day. If your heating system and thermostat are working correctly, you shouldn’t need to continue to change the thermostat often—a steady setting for the day and one for the night or when the house is empty should work. We recommend you keep the thermostat set to around 68°F during the day when people are home, as this is a good energy-saving temperature and most people will find it comfortable enough with warm clothing on. At night or when the house is empty, lower the thermostat further to around 62°F.
When in doubt, please call us to check on your heater. We’ll get to the root of those pricey utility bills.
JD’s Prompt Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning serves the Lubbock area. Call us today for the heating help your home and family need!