{"id":480,"date":"2018-12-17T11:00:56","date_gmt":"2018-12-17T16:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/?p=480"},"modified":"2018-12-17T10:56:52","modified_gmt":"2018-12-17T15:56:52","slug":"tips-low-cost-heating-mild-winters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/heating-service\/tips-low-cost-heating-mild-winters\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Low Cost Heating in Mild Winters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-481\" src=\"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/furnace-gas-jets-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"natural-gas-furnace\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/furnace-gas-jets-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/furnace-gas-jets-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/furnace-gas-jets.jpg 799w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>We get extensive use from our home air conditioning systems almost around the year in Katy, and it\u2019s important to ensure an AC is in the best possible condition considering all the work it has to do.<\/p>\n<p>Heating systems like electric furnaces don\u2019t get anywhere near that amount of work. But most homes have a heater of some type, and when the cool days of winter come around, they\u2019ll need to be able to turn on and run reliably.<\/p>\n<p>But <em>reliably<\/em> doesn\u2019t necessarily mean a heater won\u2019t start running up tremendous bills. This is a tricky part about <a href=\"\/heating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">heating in Katy, TX<\/a>\u2014managing to stay warm when necessary, but without having to pay too much to do it. Below are a few ways to save with your heating during winter.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>Remember to Have Maintenance for the Heating System<\/h3>\n<p>This is a priority, no matter how much you use your heater. Air conditioners and heaters both need professional inspections and tune-ups once a year. For heaters, fall is the best time to schedule it, but in our warm climate it\u2019s not too late to have it done in early winter (i.e. now). Maintenance takes care of cleaning and adjusting the heater so it functions at its highest energy efficiency. It doesn\u2019t only take work stress to affect a heater\u2019s energy efficiency; a buildup of dust and dirt inside it during the summer also takes its toll. If your heater misses maintenance, it will start costing on average 5% more to run each year\u2014and it isn\u2019t likely to last for long either.<\/p>\n<h3>Regularly Change the Air Filter<\/h3>\n<p>Most homes have either a furnace or a heat pump to provide heat. Both of these systems have air filters on their cabinets or behind the grill of the return air vent. This filter protects the interior of the cabinet from damage due to dust and other debris coming in through the return ducts. After only a few months, the filter will clog up, and this causes strain on the blower motor and a spike in utility bills. We recommend changing the filter every 1 to 3 months, depending on filter strength. The AC uses the same filter, so the clogging can lead to a serious increase in comfort costs.<\/p>\n<h3>Lower the Thermostat When It\u2019s Cold<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWait, what?\u201d We know this sounds like the opposite of what you should do. But what we mean is you shouldn\u2019t push up the thermostat to a high setting when the weather cools down. Setting the thermostat higher makes the system run longer, not provide <em>more<\/em> heat. You\u2019ll end up spending a lot more to run the system while making the house too hot. We recommend setting the thermostat at around 68\u00b0F, which makes the heater run less and slows down the speed heat leaves the house. You may need to wear slightly warmer clothing, but you can save around 25% on heating costs compared to setting the thermostat in the 70s or higher.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">At AC Comfort, we know Comfort Can Cost Less! <a href=\"\/contact\/schedule-service#content\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Speak to us today<\/a> to arrange for heating maintenance or other services you may need.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Below are a few ways to save with your heating during winter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[76],"tags":[49,88],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":483,"href":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480\/revisions\/483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accomfort.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}