Hold Down the High Cost of Heating and Cooling
The high cost of comfort is like a hidden tax on home ownership in Buffalo. Heating is like a tax that keeps going up and up. It’s rising faster than your paycheck. But what can you do? We all know you have to heat your home when it’s cold and cool it when it’s hot.
Actually, there are things you can do. Some are inexpensive. Others require investments in your home, but pay off almost immediately. Here are a few ways to cut the cost of comfort.
Air Infiltration
One of the simplest ways to reduce utilities is by reducing air infiltration into your home. In other words, don’t pay to heat and cool the great outdoors.
Infiltration is a bigger problem with older homes than new ones. New homes are usually built tight. There is not a lot of leakage from inside to out. With our older homes in Buffalo, heating bills can be very high. These homes were built to different standards when energy usage was less of a concern.
Visually inspect weather stripping, looking for cracks. Use an incense stick to check for drafts and air leaks around windows, doors, recessed lighting fixtures, and attic hatches. Replace old weather stripping and seal the leaks.
Annual Maintenance
Research shows that giving your home comfort system a professional tune-up will save more than it costs in a few months of operation, prevent breakdowns, restore lost heating and cooling capacity, and extend equipment life. A home comfort system is a robust collection of mechanical equipment. It operates as many hours in the course of a year as your car does in three or four years.
Just like your car’s performance would degrade after three or four years of operation without any maintenance, your comfort system’s performance degrades after a year of operation. You need annual maintenance. Moreover, it saves more utility expenses that it costs. And, it will make your home more comfortable.
Check back for Part 2 on How to Hold Down the High Cost of Heating and Cooling.