4 Tips for Better Furnace Efficiency and Effectiveness

During the cold winter months, heating becomes incredibly important. However, if your system becomes inefficient and ineffective, you may feel that you just are throwing money away. Your furnace may be less efficient or effective for many reasons, and many solutions require little to no money. If you would like to learn more, check out these four tips to boost your furnace's performance.

1. Give the Furnace Space

Your furnace needs plenty of ventilation, so you should give the thermostat enough space. Ideally, you don't want to store anything in the furnace room, but if you have to, keep items as far from the furnace as possible. Keeping the room clean can help too so dust and debris doesn't get trapped in the system, which can reduce efficiency.

In addition, be mindful about what you do store in the furnace room. For example, if you have a cat, you may be tempted to put their litterbox in the furnace room since the room is likely rarely used. However, the ammonia from the litter can corrode parts of the furnace. Similarly, wet clothes near the furnace can prevent proper airflow.

2. Keep Heat Away From the Thermostat

The thermostat has two main roles: it measures the temperature of the indoor air, and it gives you control to turn up, down, off, or on the heat. For this reason, keep sources of heat and cold away from the thermostat. Even if the rest of the house is 60 degrees, the thermostat may register the house is 70 degrees because direct sunlight is hitting it.

When installing your thermostat, make sure to place it in the appropriate location: on an interior wall, away from direct sunlight and doors or windows. The area around doors and windows experience temperature fluctuations, which will cause the thermostat to misread the temperature. Similarly, keep the thermostat away from any heat source, such as the oven, the furnace, heating vents, or large appliances.

3. Don't Neglect the Vents

Don’t keep vents shut in unused rooms because this can put stress on the system, which causes it to break down faster and lose efficiency. The only way to create zoned heating is with a zoned heating system. However, even if you make sure all your vents are open, other obstacles may prevent proper airflow.

One key rule is to avoid putting anything over the vents, such as your bed or a TV stand. Even if a little space is between the vent and the object, this hinders airflow, making that vent less effective. In other cases, the vent may simply be clogged. This is common if you have pets because their hair gets clogged in the vents. If you have kids, they may also cause problems by putting things down the vents.

4. Remove Unnecessary Exhaust Fans

Exhaust fans are important for your home. For example, in bathrooms, they pull moist air out of the bathroom to reduce the risk of condensation and mold. However, having too many exhaust fans can increase the risks of a backdraft, causing cold air to flow right into your home. Talk with your HVAC tech to find out if any of your exhaust fans can be removed.

If you are unable to remove exhaust fans, make sure you have a backdraft damper and that it is in working order. A damper lets the heated air escape while still blocking cold air from entering via the fan. Don't forget to occasionally check your exhaust fans for debris, which could prevent them from closing properly.

A good furnace can keep your home warm for a good price. However, even if you take great care of your furnace, you may still have other issues that cause heating bills to skyrocket. If you would like to know more or if you want to request a quote on a furnace inspection, contact us at Comfort Technology Heating & Air Conditioning today.