Home heating tips

Keep that heat in, and the cold out.

- Have your heating system serviced for maximum operating efficiency and safety at least every other year.

- Replace furnace filters when they are dirty, or once a month during the heating season.

- Keep radiators, registers and baseboards free and clear of draperies or furniture, and close dampers when you are not using the fireplace.

- Limit the use of a fireplace during periods of very cold weather. The heat a fireplace generates tends to go up the chimney, and draws warm air from adjacent rooms up and out of your house.

- In homes with radiators, keep shallow pans of water on or near hot air vents to make your home feel warmer and more comfortable. In with homes using forced hot air or other methods, use a humidifier.

- Leaks can develop in ducts as heating systems age. Examine the ducts that are easily accessible, and replace deteriorated duct tape when necessary.

- Lower the thermostat when you are not home. Health permitting, set your thermostat to 68°F during the day and 60°F at night. Or, make it easy on yourself, and install a programmable thermostat, then program it to turn down the heat at night and when nobody’s home for four or more hours.

- When the sun is out, open the blinds, shades, and curtains, to allow the sun’s heat in. Close blinds, shades and curtains at night to keep cold from seeping in.

- In homes with older windows, a relatively inexpensive fix is to use a plastic window kit to prevent drafts from coming in. Or for a more permanent fix, install storm or thermal windows and doors or double-paned glass.

- Caulk and weather strip walls, floors, doors and windows and other openings such as pipes or ducts to seal gaps and reduce air leaks.

- Keep outside doors closed as much as possible. A door opened for just a few seconds can let in a lot of cold air.