Even if you have the world’s greatest heating system, here’s one thing it wasn’t designed to accomplish:  heat up the space outside your home.  And yet it can’t help but attempt the impossible when heat is permitted to escape outdoors.

To prevent that and take a big bite out of your monthly heating costs, simply follow these steps energy conservation steps:

• Attic insulation – Pardon us for repeating the obvious, but heat rises, and unless your attic is well insulated, it could be rising into your attic and through your roof. If it’s been a while since you’ve inspected your attic insulation, now’s a good time to do so or hire a professional for assistance.  For best results, the insulation should be at least 6” thick and cover the entire surface of your attic without gaps.  Because heat, you see, will find those gaps, and that spells higher utility costs and more wear and tear on your heating system.

• Window and Door Insulation – On cold and blustery day, you don’t need an expert to tell you that heat is escaping through or around windows and doors.  Simply stand next to one and you can feel the added chill for yourself.  When you do, that’s the time to beef up or replace window caulking or the weather stripping around doors that lead outside.  If you can feel cold air coming in from beneath a door, installing a door skirt can help a great deal. So can hanging thick shades or drapes over certain windows.

• Wall Insulation – It’s estimated that about 35% of heat loss occurs through your outside facing walls.  You can gain a lot of extra rest for your heating system and cut your heating costs simply by insulating the inside of them.

• Fireplace, Switches & Outlets – Your fireplace opening is such a large and easy exit point for heat, it might as well have a neon sign pointing the way out!  To prevent large scale heat loss, cover the opening with airtight glass doors when your fireplace is sitting idle.  Warm air can also escape through switches and outlets – you’ll find specially designed insulation for these at your local hardware store or home center.

How’s your heating system performing?  If it’s been a year or more since you’ve had it checked, now’s the perfect time to contact Boden Plumbing Heating & Air for our multi-point heating system tune-up and inspection.  It’s a great way to prevent heating repair problems while ensuring your system’s safer and more reliable operation.  With regular maintenance, you also can look forward to significant reductions in your monthly heating costs.

Preventing Heat Loss, Santa Rosa & Sonoma – By preventing heat from escaping your home, you’ll enjoy greater comfort plus lower monthly heating costs.