Cut your heating bills

Do you want to cut your heating bills by 7 – 12 percent a year?  Install an automatic setback thermostat.  It can be programmed to lower the heat or cool the air while everyone’s out during the day or when they’re snug in bed at night; it turns the system on just before you get home or at daybreak.

Want a cheap heat reflector to insert behind radiators and baseboard convectors?  Tape heavy duty aluminum foil to a panel of insulation board.  Radiators or baseboard convectors not delivery heat efficiently?  Dust and dirt buildup may be inhibiting heat flow.  Every couple of months, turn the radiators or convectors off, let them cool down, then vacuum them with a crevice attachment and wipe them clean with a damp cloth.

Save energy dollars by wrapping insulation around the pipes leading to radiators and convectors.  Also, opening windows to cool rooms overheated by steam radiators wastes heat and money.  Install radiator thermostats; they maintain a set temperature.  The cost varies widely; shop around for the best price.

Warm-Air Heating Systems

Floor-length draperies “robbing” rooms of heat from convectors or warm-air registers?  Install air deflectors over them to prevent this.

Cut down the amount of dust that a forced warm-air heating or central air-conditioning system brings into your rooms.  Take out the grates monthly for a scrubbing in a mild detergent solution; vacuum inside the registers as far as your extension tool will reach.

Changing furnace/air filters

How often should you change the filter to your warm-air heating system?  To devise a schedule suited to your system, install a new filter and then check it every 4 weeks for dirt accumulation by holding it up to a bare light bulb.  When the light shining through the filter is diffused, it’s time for a new filter.