Winter’s in Florida are nowhere near as cold as they are in the northern states, but Floridians still notice the temperature drop which happens come end of the year. And when it happens, you know what’s next – turning on the heating and waiting for a bigger utility bill.  Well, while you wait, you can see if there’s anything you can do to keep your utility bills to the minimum and still have a comfy, warm, winter.

Maintenance Tips that Will Save You Money

The first thing you need to do is ensure your HVAC is running as efficiently as possible. Check your furnace’s filters – if they are clogged, they can seriously reduce the efficiency of your HVAC. Make sure that there are no leaks in the air ducts, and if there are, close them up. You don’t want to lose hot air before it gets to where it needs to be. You should also check your thermostat and make sure that it’s working properly, and that it’s set to a comfortable temperature – you don’t need to feel like you’re on the beach in the middle of the summer in order to not be cold.

Things You Can Do Around the Home

If your HVAC system is well and ready to heat, you can do a couple of things around your home that will give your HVAC a boost. The most important thing to remember here is that warm air likes to escape. If your windows are not properly sealed, if you have gaps beneath your doors, and if you leave your chimney damper opened when the chimney is not in use, you’ll lose warm air. So, seal the windows, put rugs under the doors, and close the damper when there’s no need for it to be open. Warm air also like to go up, so if you have ceiling fans, put them on the reverse setting and turn them on – they will push the warm air down. Also, make sure that the air is not too dry in your house – we feel warmer when there’s some moisture in the air. Think about installing a furnace humidifier.

Know When to Ask for Help

Of course, if you do all of this and your bills are still unreasonably large, you might want to have your HVAC checked. One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® of Clearwater can do that for you. We can also do a full maintenance check of your system if you haven’t done it before the winter (we’ll also explain why you need to do this before it gets cold), or we can see if there are any additional steps we can take to keep your utility bill in check during the winter. We’re only a phone call away.