How To Save On Heating Oil Bills This Winter

After a mild start to fall, temperatures are starting to dip here in the Catskill region –  before you know it, you’ll be relying on your heating equipment day and night to keep your family safe and warm at home.

With all that heating system use, your heating bills are bound to rise; the good news is that with a little planning and some sound investments of time and money, you can keep those bills more manageable now and for years to come.

5 Ways To Cut Heating Costs

Here are five smart ways to spend your money and time this fall to keep your heating bills as low as possible:

1. Use your thermostat. If you don’t know how to program your thermostat, invest some time learning – it will be worth it, considering that proper use of a thermostat can save 10 percent or more on your heating bill. If you don’t have a programmable smart thermostat, strongly consider installing one – it will likely pay for itself in the first year of use.
2. Boost your insulation. Insulation is one of the best bang-for-the-buck ways to lower your heating (and cooling) bills, but most Sullivan County homes (especially older ones) are under-insulated. Try adding insulation in areas where air leaks are most likely to occur, such as the attic and crawl space; for further tips on where and how much to insulate, check out this energy.gov post.
3. Weatherize. The average northeastern home loses about an open window’s worth of conditioned air through leaks around doors, windows, and in other problem areas. In winter, air leaks let the cold air in and release the air you paid to heat into the great outdoors. A small investment of time and money replacing caulk or weatherstripping will be worth your time; for more tips on air sealing, check out this post.
4. Schedule a heating tune-up. Heating maintenance is a must for your furnace, boiler and burner – make sure you do it every year to keep your equipment running safely, reliably, and efficiently.
5. Upgrade your heating system. If your furnace or boiler is not keeping your family comfortable, has been seeing a lot of repair time lately, or is more than 15 years old (or all of the above), it could be time for a heating system upgrade. A new heating system could save you 40 percent on your heating bills – enough to pay for the new unit in just a few years in energy savings alone.

Don’t wait until you’re faced with a no-heat emergency to take care of problems with your heating system. Contact us today for a FREE, no-obligation estimate on heating system installations and expert heating service in Sullivan County, NY!