Residential heating systems are complex machines that cost a lot, as they quietly work day and night to keep our Warren County area homes warm and safe.
And yet, with all conflicting information online these days about furnace efficiency and the general lack of understanding that comes with the territory, it can become challenging for some to discern what is factual from what is misperception.
Nevertheless, to dispel some of the confusion about how best to use a home heating system and how to save money on heating costs by optimizing this equipment during the cold months, we at Lebanon Heating & Cooling present the following:
Myth #1: Keep Registers & Vents Closed in Unused Areas Helps Decrease Heating Costs.
This myth is a persistent one here in the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, area, perhaps because it’s counterintuitive to think shutting off a home’s air vents and registers doesn’t do any good. Nonetheless, we’d like to remind homeowners that furnaces are installed and set up in a precise way so that the air pressure stays balanced with vents and registers open in all parts of the home. Because of this and other factors, closing vents throws off this intricate balance and doesn’t save money like you’d think. Plus it adds strain to the equipment. In any case, experts agree it’s best to keep everything open the way it should be for best results.
Myth #2: Cranking Up Your Thermostat Heats the Home in a Hurry
If our home refuge from Southwest Ohio’s freezing cold isn’t as warm as we’d like it to be, it might be tempting to go to crank up the old thermostat well beyond our normal temperature level in order to try to hurry the warming process. Nevertheless, this isn’t the least bit helpful and furthermore it will cause the furnace to keep blowing heat after your home reaches the temperature level you were seeking in the first place. Except for multi-stage systems, all home heating systems always work at maximum capacity when they’re turned on — regardless of what temperature setting you have the thermostat set on. Because of this fact, there’s never a good reason to crank up the temperature above what you’re actually wanting it to be for normal comfort. It’s not going to heat things up any faster. It’s going to cause more harm in the long run.
Myth #3: Newer Homes Are More Energy Efficient Than Older Ones
Newer homes are made with energy efficiency in mind. However, this doesn’t mean that everything is fully optimized when built or that things aren’t overlooked from time to time. Examples of this include winterization, insulation and air sealing. A lot of people don’t know this, however, newer homes only get minimum insulation, which can be a lot less than our winter climate calls for. Moreover, air sealing necessary to seal holes to prevent conditioned air from escaping is rarely done. Both of these items can have a major impact on the overall energy efficiency and comfort of a home. And, without both of them, it makes the age of the home irrelevant as the system will have to work a lot harder to provide the same level of comfort.
Give us a call for all your HVAC needs!
For more on furnace optimization, furnace maintenance, furnace replacement or furnace repair or to find out what your system is or is not doing properly call Lebanon Heating & Cooling today at (513) 540-1773, or schedule an appointment now by clicking here!
