How to Lower Your Heating Bill: 25 Tricks From a Furnace Man, by Gus Hollis on YouTube. 24 min 16 s.
- Video length
- 24 min 16 s
- Time to do it
- 2 hours
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Switch your ceiling fans to run clockwise on the lowest speed. Warm air gathers at the ceiling, and a slow clockwise turn pushes it back down without a chill.
Open curtains and blinds on sunny windows during the day, then close them at dusk. Free solar heat comes in, and the closed fabric slows it leaking back out overnight.
Pull sofas, beds and long curtains away from radiators, vents and baseboards. Anything blocking the heat sends it into the furniture instead of the room.
Close the fireplace damper whenever there is no fire burning. An open damper is a straight chimney for the warm air you already paid for.
Run a damp hand slowly around window frames, door edges, outlets and sills. Where your skin feels a cold draft, that is a leak worth sealing.
Slide a dollar bill into a closed exterior door and pull it. If it slips out easily, add weatherstripping to the frame or a draft stopper under the door.
Press rope caulk into the gaps around old window sashes, and cover the worst windows with shrink film on double sided tape. Warm the film with a hairdryer to pull it tight.
Fit foam gasket sealers behind the switch and outlet plates on outside walls. Switch the power off at the breaker before you take a plate right off.
Bleed each radiator with a radiator key. Hold a deep cloth or bowl under the valve, open it a quarter turn until steady water runs, then close it.
Look at the furnace filter once a month and swap it when it turns grey. A clogged filter makes the blower work harder and moves less heat.
Tips and common mistakes
Water from a radiator can be scalding, so let it cool a little and wear gloves before you open the valve.
Never touch the gas line, the meter or the burner yourself; call a licensed technician for anything past the filter.
Turn the thermostat down only as far as your house recovers from quickly, since old radiators can take hours to catch up.
Write the change date on each new furnace filter with a marker so you remember the next one.
Questions
How often should I bleed my radiators?
Once at the start of the heating season, and again any time one radiator stays cold at the top while the others heat up. A radiator that stays cold all over may need a technician.
Does running the ceiling fan in winter really help?
Yes, if it runs clockwise on low speed, which pushes warm ceiling air down. Left on the summer setting it stirs cold air and makes the room feel draftier.
What temperature should the water heater be set to?
Many homes do fine at around 120°F (49°C). Check the dial on the tank and do not go lower, since the tank needs to stay hot enough to be safe.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
