How to Save on Home Heating Costs as Natural Gas Increases
A natural gas furnace is the most efficient way to heat your home, especially if you live in a cold climate. However, Reuters says the price of natural gas is anticipated to rise dramatically during the winter heating season. Find out why the price of natural gas is going up and how to save on gas heating bills this year.
Why Is Natural Gas Going Up?
Each聽year, the U.S Energy Information Administration (EIA)聽produces聽a winter fuel outlook. Energy costs have聽previously聽gone up聽around the world, according to Reuters. This is聽receive聽the聽need聽for energy is now聽greater聽than the available supply.
How聽Higher聽Natural Gas Prices Will聽Impact聽You
Higher natural gas prices will聽Impact聽you as you聽turn聽on your heating system and聽get聽utility bills. Here’s about how much it will聽affect聽the average household during the six-month winter heating season,聽in contrast聽to 2020.
- Average heating bill for 2020 season: $573, or about $95.50 monthly.
- Average heating bill for 2021 season: $746, or about $124.33 monthly. That’s about a 30% increase from聽the previous聽year.
4聽Tips聽for Saving on Heating Costs
In comparison to聽other fuel sources, a natural gas heating system is still the聽most affordable聽and most efficient way to heat your home. And there are聽several聽steps you can take to聽you can do to keep your heating costs聽affordable聽this winter. Here’s how you can聽spend less聽on your gas heating bill.
1.聽搁别辩耻别蝉迟听a Furnace Tune-Up
搁别辩耻别蝉迟听furnace maintenance聽from an HVAC professional before the heating season聽starts. You’ll get efficiency and it’s聽cheaper聽than聽fixing聽your heating system later on in the year.
This service聽consists of:
- Evaluating聽and cleaning gas burners听蹿辞谤听肠辞谤谤别肠迟听辞辫别谤补迟颈辞苍.
- Checking聽the heat exchanger for cracks聽to聽avoid聽deadly聽carbon monoxide leaks.
- Tracking聽warm air flow and blower operation聽to聽ensure聽peak performance.
- Inspecting聽the gas valve聽to聽ensure聽fuel supply pressure is聽correct.
- Checking聽electrical parts听蹿辞谤听辫谤辞产濒别尘蝉.
- Taking a look at聽your thermostat聽to聽ensure聽it’s working聽correctly.
Having your HVAC system聽maintained聽each year helps聽manage聽energy use,聽decreases聽the聽chance聽of breakdowns and may even make your heating system last longer. Plus,聽many聽manufacturers require it to keep your valuable warranty聽valid. This warranty聽protects聽you if a聽significant聽part,聽like聽the heat exchanger,聽fails聽on your home’s heating system during a聽specific聽period.
We know you’re busy and that it’s easy to聽forget about聽scheduling聽your furnace tune-ups. That’s why we聽provide聽membership programs聽designed聽to make your life聽better聽while helping you save money.
With our best-value聽Maintenance+™, you’ll聽enjoy聽regular preventive maintenance plus:
- Energy savings up to 30%**
- Guaranteed 24/7/365 priority service
- 15% discount on repairs and air purification聽solutions
- 天美传媒 Guarantee on repairs*
- Lifetime thermostat warranty
- Home Health Report Card and 29-point visual check on聽every聽visit
2.聽Get聽a Smart Thermostat
HVAC professionals聽advise聽replacing聽your programmable thermostat with one that’s “smart” to save money on your energy bill. This means it聽uses聽Wi-Fi, so you can聽control聽your HVAC system from your smartphone or tablet from bed聽in the morning, or just about聽anyplace聽in the world. You’ll聽get聽real-time updates on how much energy you’re聽using.
The best smart thermostats for central heating have:
- Wi-Fi聽capability聽with an app to聽manage聽it from a smartphone or computer.
- A color screen that聽displays聽the current temperature and humidity levels at home, as well as outside weather forecasts so you can聽adapt聽accordingly.
- Eco mode settings that聽automatically聽set聽the thermostat to save you more money.
- Smart programming that聽makes聽an energy-efficient heating聽schedule聽based on your temperature preferences.
Your energy company聽probably聽has聽valuable rebates for聽installing聽a smart thermostat, since they’re ENERGY STAR¨ qualified. These rebates may cover a聽part聽or even the聽full聽cost of the thermostat, so聽contact聽your natural gas supplier before you聽buy聽one.
3.聽Choose聽Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings
驰辞耻谤听聽will聽handle聽creating聽an efficient schedule that聽likely聽lowers聽your heating bill, but you’ll need to聽set聽it for a few days so it can聽learn聽your temperature preferences. We聽suggest聽following聽these winter thermostat settings from the聽聽and ENERGY STAR.
When You’re at Home
Your thermostat should be set to 68 degrees for聽maximum聽energy savings. If this feels too聽chilly, these ways to save can help keep your home feeling聽more comfortable聽and your heating bill聽under control:
- Use聽window treatments that block heat loss,聽like聽as honeycomb shades, plantation shutters or window blankets, which are thick quilts.
- Open south-facing window treatments during the聽daytime聽to let in natural heat from the sun. Keep your windows covered at night to聽seal聽out cold air.
- Cover drafty windows with plastic sheeting聽to聽prevent聽air leaks. Consider聽getting聽energy-saving windows聽later on,聽like聽double pane with insulating gas or triple pane.
- Set ceiling fans to聽reverse聽so they can disperse warm air that聽gathers聽near the ceiling.
- Have an HVAC professional seal heating ducts.聽This is often done through聽adding聽metallic tape on gaps and helps you聽keep聽more hot air from your heating system.
- Add weather stripping on windows and doors. Weather stripping is聽great聽at聽stopping聽cold air drafts and keeping warm air where it聽belongs.
- Make sure heating vents are聽unrestricted.聽Closing聽vents in rooms you don’t use is a bad idea since it can聽Impact聽air balance and make your furnace work harder. Also, try not to block vents as this聽impacts聽how heating systems distribute warm air.
- Consider聽installing聽additional聽ceiling insulation,聽since your home聽loses聽a lot of hot air through the attic.
- Book聽an energy audit聽through your natural gas company. This service is聽usually聽free and聽provides聽valuable advice on how to save money and lower your heating bill. It may help you聽identify聽how much insulation you need to add,聽pinpoint聽air leaks and more.
While You’re聽Asleep
罢丑别听聽says most people聽do聽best in a聽cold聽room. During the winter, that can聽vary聽from 60-67 degrees, depending on your personal preferences.Â
Try聽experimenting with聽your thermostat for about a week to聽find聽the聽right聽temperature.聽Start聽with the temperature set at 67 degrees and聽lowering聽it by a degree聽Each聽evening. You聽may聽feel聽cold聽initially, but you’ll聽probably聽be聽surprised聽how聽comfy聽you can be at a聽lower聽temperature. And how much it can聽Impact聽your heating bill!
While You’re聽away
If you don’t have any pets, you can聽set聽your thermostat as聽low聽as 50 degrees. This keeps your heating system聽low聽and your pipes from聽freezing. But don’t be tempted to聽crank聽up your furnace when you聽get back, instead of聽setting聽it back to 68. This won’t聽warm聽your home up聽quicker. It’ll just聽increase聽your heating bill and聽cause聽wear and tear on your furnace.
If you have pets, you can聽use聽the Department of Energy’s聽suggestion聽to聽set聽your thermostat back 7-10 degrees while you’re聽away. Doing this while you’re at聽work聽can save you up to 10% on heating bills聽Each聽year.
4.聽Get a New聽Furnace
replacing聽your聽outdated, inefficient heating system is one of the聽smartest聽ways to save on heating bills. A furnace’s efficiency is聽calculated聽in AFUE, or Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency.聽In other words, this rating measures how efficiently your furnace uses fuel for heat.
Newer聽furnaces have an average AFUE of 95%, while聽older聽models only聽attain聽around 80%.聽Buying聽a new furnace that’s 15% more efficient can聽result in聽big聽savings on your heating bills over your furnace’s聽life. While your聽precise聽utility bill聽savings聽will vary based on聽area聽weather and your temperature preferences, these聽savings聽could help your primary heating source pay for itself聽over聽time through a聽lower聽natural gas bill.
When to聽Start聽Considering聽Furnace Installation
Here are a few other聽signs聽that it’s time to聽Start聽last聽furnace installation:
- 础驳别.听many聽furnaces聽last聽between 15-20 years with聽adequate聽maintenance. If yours is聽close to聽this age, you should聽Start聽planning聽for replacement to聽avoid聽being without heat when your furnace聽breaks down聽for good.
- Repair frequency and聽price.聽If your furnace repair bills are聽more聽than half the聽price聽of a new system, we聽suggest聽Buying聽a new one. This also聽applies聽if repairs are becoming more聽frequent.
- Reduced聽comfort and聽pricey聽heating bills.聽As your furnace聽ages, it聽uses聽more energy. You’ll聽notice聽this through your home being less聽cozy聽and your heating bill being聽higher.
- 奥别颈谤诲听苍辞颈蝉别蝉.聽It’s聽typical聽for your furnace to make some聽noise聽as it turns on and off. But some聽sounds,聽especially聽rattling, banging or screeching, are聽an obvious聽sign that something’s聽awry. Based on the聽seriousness聽of the聽problem, it may just be better to聽buy聽a new furnace.
- Yellow burner flames.聽Your furnace’s burner flames should always be blue. Yellow flames聽suggest聽your furnace is聽consuming聽more聽gas聽and may even be聽gas聽carbon monoxide, which can be聽lethal聽in聽big聽doses. Furnaces聽leaking聽this聽life-threatening聽gas should be聽replaced聽right away.
奥别听谤别补濒颈锄别听迟丑补迟听furnace replacement聽is a聽big聽investment. It can also be a聽surprise聽that you’re not聽fully聽prepared聽for. That’s why we聽offer聽the聽天美传媒 Advantage Program™. This聽hassle-free聽subscription program is聽revolutionizing聽home comfort by聽covering聽everything, with no聽big聽up-front cost or down payment聽required.
For聽only聽one聽reasonable聽monthly fee, you’ll聽get:
- A new, high-efficiency furnace,聽plus聽valuable manufacturer’s rebates
- Expert installation at no extra聽cost
- Guaranteed 24/7/365 priority service
- Repairs, labor, parts and air filters at no聽extra聽charge*
- 15% discount on air purification products
- Lifetime thermostat warranty
- Home Health™ Report Card and 29-point visual check on聽Each聽visit
- Annual聽preventive maintenance and energy savings up to 30%**
Save聽Money聽on Heating Costs with 天美传媒
Although natural gas prices are聽going up, there are聽countless聽ways to聽lower聽your heating bill with our Expert assistance. To聽get started,聽call聽us at (866) 963-7996 for an appointment and we’ll聽take a look at聽what you can do to聽spend less聽money this winter!
*贵辞谤听HVAC Service Memberships, certain warranty exclusions and limitations apply. See your signed agreement for full terms and conditions. For the Advantage Program™, please see your signed Advantage Program Agreement for full details and exclusions. Lease with approved credit; visit ServiceExperts.com for details. **Potential savings may vary depending on age and condition of equipment, personal lifestyle, system settings, equipment maintenance, and installation of equipment and duct system.
