If you own a larger house, trying to keep the temperature in check can often end up being a costly hassle. If your home was built a long time ago, chances are it’s even harder to make sure your home stays an even temperature. Even if you do the best you can at trying to conserve energy, heating your home ends up coming at a huge cost. If you’re struggling with ways to efficiently heat and cool your home, here are some helpful tips that will save you a bundle during the summer and winter months.
1. Don’t Skimp on Insulation
Whether you heat your house with a wood stove or ThinkHeat technology, your heating methods won’t be very effective if you don’t have all your drafts sealed up. When it comes to keeping your house protected from the outside weather, insulation goes a long way without costing a fortune. If you’re dealing with an old house, there are probably tons of air leaks all around that you don’t even know about. Before the winter or summer months hit, try to go through your house and make sure you’re not dealing with any leaks. That means insulating smaller areas like the holes around electrical sockets and the bottoms of doors and windows. You can use weatherstripping and caulking to keep the drafts out and be able to heat and cool your house for less.
2. Use Window Tinting
Natural light can be a great way to liven up a room and allow some natural heat to circulate. However, it can also end up overheating a room quite quickly, in addition to causing sun damage to your property. In summer months, try installing window tinting film to allow light to filter in without overheating your space and damaging your home goods. Window tinting can also be a helpful and energy-efficient way to trap heat during the winter. In colder months, try using heavy, dark drapes to keep drafts out and protect your home from cold air infiltration.
3. Use Smart Thermostats
With newer inventions like Nest and other smart home temperature regulators, heating and cooling your house doesn’t have to be a strain. All you have to do is install a few settings and your smart thermostat will do the rest. It will know when to turn the heat down in the winter (late at night when everyone is asleep) and it will be able to save energy on cooling costs in the summer. If you want to find the safest, most cost-effective way to heat and cool your home, look no further.
4. Buy Fans and Portable Heaters
If your home isn’t the easiest place to heat or cool centrally, a few well-placed portable heaters in the winter and fans and A/C units in the summer will go a long way toward keeping things regulated. Allowing the air to circulate easily in the cooler months will bring down the temperature without raising the energy bill, and portable heaters can quickly warm up a room and trap heat inside easily.
