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Clean
or replace furnace filters. Dirty filters
slow air-flow through your HVAC system making
it work harder and costing you more money. |
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Check manufacturer's maintenance
instructions to make sure your furnace and
heat pump are in best working order and have
your HVAC system serviced if it has been over
a year. Keep your outdoor unit free of debris
from fallen leaves or overgrown shrubbery. |
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Clean registers, baseboard
heaters, and radiators. Make sure furniture,
carpeting or drapes does not block their air-flow
or pose a fire hazard. |
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Close the vents to the
crawlspace of your home in the fall to prevent
cool air from penetrating under your house. |
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Caulk and seal air leaks
where plumbing, ducting or electrical wiring
penetrate exterior walls, floors and ceilings. |
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Test your home for air
tightness. On a windy day, hold a lit incense
stick next to your windows, doors, electrical
boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets,
ceiling fixtures and other locations on exterior
walls. If the smoke moves sideways, you have
located an air leak that may need caulking,
sealing or weather-stripping. |
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Check
your ductwork for leaks and sections that
may have separated. Secure the connections
with mechanical fasteners such as sheet metal
screws. Seal the joints with duct mastic or
butyl rubber tape. |
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Set your thermostat as low as comfortable in the winter. A programmable thermostat allows you to program day, night and weekend settings. |
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Install foam gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on exterior walls. |
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If you use a fireplace, installing tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system will blow warmed air back into the room. Close the damper when not in use. As much as 14% of your warm air escapes out a chimney. |
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Use ventilating fans wisely. Fans pull warmed or cooled air out of the house. Turn fans off as soon as they have done the job. |
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Look for dirty spots in your insulation, which indicate air leaks in and out of your house. Seal the holes by stapling sheets of plastic over the holes and caulking the edges of the plastic. |
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