Everyday Tips

• Check your thermostat setting. To help save energy, we recommend 68 degrees when you are home and 58 degrees when you go to sleep or leave the house. Comfort and health should be included in your guide to setting the best temperature for you. For each degree you turn down the thermostat in the winter, you can save approximately 1 to 3% on heating costs. It is important to note that air source heat pumps operate better at a stable temperature setting. If you have an air source heat pump, you should try to keep a steady temperature setting. If you wish to program a setback schedule, limit it to two to three degrees.
• On sunny days, open the curtains and blinds to let the sun warm your home. At night, close the curtains to trap heat inside.
• Keep furniture and curtains away from heat registers and baseboard heaters.

Maintenance

• Have your heating equipment serviced annually by a professional.
• Regularly replace or clean (if it’s washable) your heating and cooling system filter to improve efficiency and help your system last longer.
• Vacuum furnace air returns, registers, and baseboard heaters. Dust reduces the effectiveness of your system by blocking airflow.
• Duct system joints can come loose, causing you to lose warm air into your attic or crawl space or draw hot air into the ducts during the summer. Call a professional to help inspect and repair your system. Note: If you choose to fix duct leaks yourself, use duct mastic paste, never duct tape.
• Inspect your home for air leaks. Consider caulking windows, adding weather stripping to doors, and sealing other leaks in an effort to keep the heat inside your home in the winter and the heat out during the summer.

Selecting/Installing

• Look for an ENERGY STAR^®-certified heat pump, typically 20% more efficient than other systems on the market. An ENERGY STAR system may be more expensive to buy but will save you money over the life of the product.
• Install a programmable thermostat and set the temperature to match your schedule. Based on your preferences, the thermostat can automatically turn your heat down while you sleep or are away from home. If you have a heat pump or are installing a new one, be sure to purchase a thermostat specifically designed for heat pumps. For air source heat pumps, limit setback temperatures two to three degrees to avoid the thermostat’s potential use of supplemental electric heat to quickly warm up the home. Electric supplemental heat is about twice as expensive compared to the heat pump’s heat.
• Insulate ductwork if it runs through an unconditioned portion of your house (i.e. crawlspace, attic).