How to Keep Your Home at a Comfortable Temperature
From scorching summer days to chilly winter nights, chances are you’re turning to your heating and cooling system to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. While an efficient system is important in any home, it’s just one of several key factors in maintaining your home’s temperature. If things like leaving your curtains open, not changing your filters, and leaking ducts are causing cool air to leave your home in the summer, and warm air to leave in the winter, even the most efficient system in the world won’t help your home stay at a consistent temperature. Here are tips and tricks you can use to keep your home at a comfortable temperature without relying on your system to do all the work.
Keep your blinds closed
Did you know your windows can be a major source of unwanted heat in your home? On days that are especially toasty, keeping your blinds closed is an easy way to keep your home cool. If you still want the benefits of natural light without the drawbacks of heat, open your blinds so that the slats point upwards. This directs the heat up towards the ceiling instead of down into the room.
Consider thermal curtains
For a stylish home accent with benefits, consider thermal curtains. Thermal curtains work year-round to keep your home warm or cool, depending on the season, by blocking your windows from leaking the air that your system works hard to circulate. This results in not only a more comfortable home, but also considerable savings on your energy bills. With so many styles and colors available, thermal curtains can easily fit into your home’s décor.
Set your ceiling fans correctly
Ceiling fans can be a great way to help the temperature in your home. In the summer, ceiling fans should be set to spin counter-clockwise. This helps create a wind-chill like effect that helps you feel cooler. In the winter, ceiling fans should be set to spin in the clockwise direction in order to help bring warm air downward and distribute it throughout the room. If you’re not sure how to change the direction of your ceiling fan, check the base of the fan. Most fans have a switch that you can use to change the fan’s direction. By making sure that your ceiling fan is set to the correct direction for the season, you can rely on it to help keep your home at the right temperature all year long.
Clean or change your filters
We recommend changing or cleaning your filters at least once a month. This ensures that dust and dirt aren’t clogging your filters and restricting airflow. Dirty filters decrease your system’s efficiency, and can keep your home from reaching the temperature you set on your thermostat.
If you have a reusable filter, here are easy steps you can follow to clean it:
- Remove the filter from the vent
- Take the filter outside to avoid getting dirt and debris in your home
- Brush any dirt and debris off the filter and into a trashcan
- Use a vacuum with an attachment to remove any remaining debris
- Wash the filter with running water
- Allow the filter to air dry, and then reinstall the filter
If you have a disposable filter, throw it away and swap it for a new one every month. To make sure you don’t run out, keep extra filters on hand—that way you’ll never be behind on your replacement schedule.
Fix leaks in ducts
If you have leaks in your ducts, your system will not be able to cool or warm your home effectively. You may notice that no matter how much you use your thermostat, your home is still uncomfortable, or that certain rooms in your home just won’t stay warm or cool no matter what you do.
If you’re not sure if your ducts are leaking, here are some of the common signs:
- Dust: If rooms become dusty after turning on your air conditioning or heating, this is likely the result of dust, dirt, and other contaminants getting sucked into your ducts because of leaks.
- Higher energy bills: If you’re noticing an increase in your energy bills.
- Low comfort level: If you find that the air in your home is stuffy or certain rooms are harder to keep cool or warm, leaking ducts may be to blame.
Leaking ducts can be fixed by applying a mastic sealant or metal tape to the areas that are leaking. However, unless you have experience with ductwork, we recommend calling a professional. As part of our 26-point maintenance plan, we’ll inspect the ducts that connect to your unit and ensure that there are no leaks. If there are leaks, we can repair them quickly and get you back to having the clean, efficient air you deserve.
Turn off and unplug
On particularly hot days, it can be beneficial to turn off as many lights as possible. This not only saves energy, but can cool your home as lightbulbs can produce heat. The same goes for many electronic devices, including televisions, stereos, computers, and video game consoles as devices can produce heat when they’re on. However, when they’re off they don’t produce any significant amount of heat.By turning electronic devices off when you’re not using them, you can help your home stay cool and comfortable.
Close or open doors
In the summer, you should leave all of the interior doors in your home closed when you’re not currently using that room. Keeping doors open makes your air conditioning system work harder to cool a larger space, decreasing efficiency and potentially making your home feel warmer. However, in the winter, it’s the opposite—keeping doors open can help spread the heat across the house and keep rooms from feeling too cold.
How Chas Roberts can help
If your home’s temperature is not to your liking after tying these helpful tips, it’s time to bring in the experts. It may be necessary to repair or replace your system in order to bring it up to current standards. No matter what the case, you can rely on Chas Roberts for quality service and long-lasting results. Contact us today to get started.
