Reduce your furnace-related costs and stay comfortable all winter.
When you think about making your home heating system more efficient and lowering your energy costs, it’s all too easy to focus on the most expensive and disruptive options. Should you upgrade to a new furnace? What about changing the kind of energy source your home uses?
While it sometimes makes sense to overhaul your heating equipment, there’s actually a small, relatively inexpensive piece of equipment that can have an outsized impact on your home energy budget — your thermostat.
At Leahy’s Fuels, we help our customers save money and stay toasty warm through the often-unforgiving winters in Brookfield, New Canaan and other communities throughout western Connecticut. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can optimize your thermostat usage to get control of your home heating.
Why Thermostat Control Matters
Propane and heating oil furnaces are excellent ways to keep your home cozy and warm, regardless of how frigid it gets outside. These fuels generate a lot of heat energy, and today’s energy-efficient furnaces can typically deliver this heat effectively. However, many homeowners are running their furnaces more than is necessary to remain comfortable — and scaling back your furnace use can yield some fantastic savings.
The U.S. Department of Energy has found that households can lower their heating costs by up to 10% by simply reducing their home temperature by 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours each day. Effective thermostat management can accomplish this without requiring you to sacrifice any home comfort.
Using a Programmable Thermostat for Furnace Settings
Programmable thermostats are affordable pieces of equipment — you can buy one for less than $40 and potentially even install it yourself —that allows you to schedule home temperature reductions for times when they won’t impact your comfort. It’s pretty easy to find eight or more hours when you’re asleep or at work.
Upgrading to a Smart Thermostat
If you really want to take control of your daily furnace usage and find every possible efficiency savings opportunity, we suggest you install a Wi-Fi-enabled smart thermostat. These products tend to be pricier than programmable thermostats, but they offer a lot of added benefits.
You can control a smart thermostat remotely from your phone or tablet, raising and lowering your temperature anywhere you have a signal. Some smart thermostats use sensors that determine when you’re out of the house and make adjustments to save energy. Some products lower your temperatures when fuel prices are elevated.
How Efficient is Your Furnace? Leahy’s Fuels Can Help.
Another crucial way to lower your energy consumption is to arrange a regular professional tune-up for your furnace. At Leahy’s Fuels, our experienced team of heating technicians performs comprehensive furnace maintenance that can bolster your heating efficiency, lower the chance of a breakdown and prolong your system’s lifespan. We even offer affordable service plan coverage that protects your equipment and includes a complimentary annual tune-up. It’s just one more low-cost way to take control of your home’s heating costs.
Do you need service for your home’s furnace? Contact the Leahy’s team today to set up an appointment.