Year after year our winters tend to get longer and colder and many homeowners have developed strategies and theories that they think might help reduce the cost of heating their home during the winter. It is very important to note that only some of these strategies work, most of them are just myths which might actually increase your heating bill. Below are the five most common home heating myths and the truth about each one.
Duct Tape Is Perfect For Sealing Ducts
Just as the name suggest duct tape is designed to seal ducts in your home, so most people think they will be great for sealing air ducts as well however that is wrong. A ton of research has been conducted that shows duct tape comes off the ducts very easily after several heating cycles. The good news however is that there are several other really good tapes on the market that will not peel off near as easily.
If you are interested in finding out what the different type of tape are you can contact your local heating repair company, they should be able to provide you with several different types.
Lighting The Fireplace Can Help Reduce Heating Costs
This is a myth that many homeowners believe, is seems to make perfect sense because after all the fireplace will produce heat which will help raise the indoor temperature of your home. According to experts however burning wood in your fireplace actually diminishes the amount of oxygen available for breathing. What this means is that the fire will actually burn air-conditioned air. Alongside costs the fireplace requires wood, which must be bought so really there is no savings as far as heating costs go.
Programmable Thermostats Adjust Indoor Temperatures Automatically
This is one of the most common myths that homeowners tend to believe. The truth is that you actually have to input the desired temperatures in manually and readjust the settings until you are fully satisfied with the operation of your heating system.
You Can Heat Your Home Faster By Cranking Up The Thermostat
This is very common misconception amongst most homeowners that by adjusting your thermostat to a higher setting it will force the heating system to work harder to heat your home faster. The truth is that the thermostat actually cannot control how much heat is produced. All the thermostat determines is when the heater is turned on or off, so cranking it up will not help you save money or heat your home any faster.
Energy Saving Windows Can Reduce Your Heating Costs
Yes, energy saving windows are energy efficient but they are also very expensive. The energy savings you will get from energy saving windows is significantly lower than the cost of purchasing and installing the windows. Many window companies will try to snooker you into purchasing energy saving windows and tell you that they will save you a lot of money, but don’t listen to them. These types of windows are very expensive and much of the time even more costly to have installed.
Now you hopefully have a much better understanding about some of the most common heating myths. These are some things that you might even hear daily that is why it is important that you don’t put them into action unless you plan on spending more money on heating costs than what you already are. If you are however wanting to save some money on your heating costs you can perform regular HVAC maintenance and it will help out a lot. This will keep your system up and running efficiently.