Have Electric Baseboards And Want To Cut Heating Costs In Cold Months? Use These Tips
Posted on: 13 July 2016
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If you are like a lot of people, you dread the winter in part because you expect to pay a lot of money to heat your house. You might be looking for ways to cut costs but are not sure what actions you can take to remain comfortable indoors without having huge home heating bills. The suggestions below may help you cut costs if your house is equipped with electric baseboards.
Seal Air Drafts
Before doing anything else, it's a good idea to ensure that when you turn on your baseboard heat, it is heating the space inside your house instead of escaping through gaps and cracks in the wall and frames of doors and windows. Look for places where air might escape a space; for instance, if you can see a bit of light around the edges of your door, warm air could be creeping out, which means you have to turn the thermostat even higher. That means a higher heating bill.
To stop baseboard heat from leaving the space, look for spaces and feel for cool air around the edges of doors and windows. Go to the neighborhood home improvement store for insulation kits, rubber strips and other measures to seal gaps so that heat won't creep out of the house. You'll be able to set the temperature lower and save some of your money.
Vacuum the Baseboards
When is the last time you peeked into the baseboards? It's likely that you haven't spent time looking into the baseboards as long as you get warmer when you turn on the heat. However, over time, dust can build up and cause the boards to do their job less efficiently. Help the baseboards to work better by taking the handheld attachment from your vacuum and sucking all the debris out of the baseboards. Be sure to vacuum when the heat is off so that you don't accidentally injure yourself.
Call a Professional HVAC Contractor
Even if it seems as if everything is fine, it is possible that portions of the baseboards are in fact not working due to baseboard failure or problems with the circuitry. If there are problems you don't know about, you might be setting the thermostat at a higher temperature than is needed. To prevent that, have a professional HVAC contractor check each baseboard to ensure they are emitting heat and working the way they should.
With the information in this article, you might be able to better control heating costs during the cold winter months. Consult a heating and air conditioning company in the area, such as Getzschman Heating, LLC, to assess your baseboards and offer you additional solutions.