Winter weather is here in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Southern-Tier of New York, and many people are trying to save money on home heating costs, especially with the holiday season. Whether you use oil, electric, natural gas or wood as a method of heating your home it important to follow these tips for avoiding drafts and keeping the heat inside your home:
- Make sure that your attic, walls, basement and crawl spaces are well insulated.
- Install storm windows and doors
- Close the damper when your fireplace is not being used
- Make sure that pipes, and ducts in the basement around your heating furnace or boiler, and hot water heater are insulated.
- Caulk and/or weather strip doors and windows
- Seal all air leaks from outside to the basement and from heated spaces to the attic.
- Warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators are clean
- Schedule an annual tune-up for your heating system
- Make sure furniture is not blocking vents
- Clean and/or replace all filters as needed
Installing energy-efficient products also help you save money in the long run, along with following these tips:
- Having a programmable thermostat installed can automatically lower the temperature in your home at times when you are not there.
- By keeping draperies and window shades open during the day you will allow sunlight to enter your house.
- A humidifier can also help you feel comfortable since air that is more moist feels warmer.
- Lastly, using a traditional fireplace as an additional heating source sucks heated air out of your home to fuel the fire and exhaust it through the chimney, making your furnace replace that warm air.
Hinds Energy also now offers a new self-service website: www.HindsEnergyOnline.com to help those business and homeowners who want to manage their own deliveries and receive low prices in return. Hinds Energy ONLINE allows you to receive instant quotes, manage your own deliveries, quantity discount rates, and convenient 24/7/365 ordering. (Note: Hinds Energy Online is not for those who have automatic delivery/budget plans. These customers should not purchase fuel online and doing so can invalidate your degree-day record, disrupt your normal deliveries as well as void your service agreement.)
