Warm-up, costs down

We devote about 40% of our energy budgets to heating and cooling our homes, with heating accounting for the lion’s share. Over the years, more and more emphasis has been placed on building homes that are easier and less expensive to keep warm. Thicker insulation, air-tight doors and windows and high-efficiency heating systems reduce energy consumption and increase comfort. Which doesn’t mean that you can’t improve on these measures by adopting a few of your own.

• Turn down the temperature in an unoccupied room in the winter. 16°C is considered sufficient to maintain temperature and avoid condensation.

• Install programmable electronic thermostats that will regulate the system automatically by turning the heating on and off according to your choices. The user can preset selections for as long as thirty days at a time.

• Have your furnace inspected periodically and ask for a combustion efficiency test. The result should exceed 80%.

• Use a portable space heater for warming the room you’re in. Some models can be pre-programmed to turn on in anticipation of your arrival.

• Clean or replace forced air furnace filters every month in peak periods.

• Wear a sweater in lieu of turning up the thermostat if the room feels cool.

• Close the blinds and windows during the daylight hours in the summer to keep the cool air in and the hot air out. Do the same at night in the winter to keep the cold air away.

• Install interior or exterior double windows in the fall on older homes.

• Inspect and replace damaged or worn weather stripping sections around doors and windows every fall. Over time, it can dry, crack and lose its prime function.

• Place heat shrinking plastic sheeting over windows to stop air leaks. It’s also quite inexpensive and easy to install.

• Install a ceiling fan that uses very little electricity, will cool the room in the summer and, with the blades reversed, warm the room by dispersing heat in the winter.