‘Tis the season

It’s winter in Saskatchewan and it’s going to get colder before it warms up. Make sure you’re ready for a toasty-warm holiday season and the rest of the winter by ensuring your furnace is ready, too.

According to SaskEnergy, homeowners should regularly maintain their furnaces to keep the heat up and running when it’s needed, while keeping the costs down. Proper maintenance is essential even with a new high-efficiency furnace, as it’s important to do annual maintenance and upkeep to ensure it’s running safely and at peak efficiency. A furnace operating at peak efficiency will use less energy and cost less to operate.

Space heating is the largest energy user in the home, accounting for approximately 50 per cent of energy usage, so having your furnace running at its best will help make sure you’re prepared for the cold winter months ahead.

It is also recommended that furnace filters be cleaned or replaced every one to two months, as a dirty filter reduces airflow and forces the furnace to run longer to heat your home. Furnace filters can be purchased through your plumbing and heating contractor or through your local hardware store. Replacing the furnace filter is a quick and easy way for homeowners to increase the performance and longevity of their heating equipment.

In addition to changing the furnace filter, it is important to keep the area around your furnace clean and well ventilated, and to ensure any outdoor vents are clear of debris, including snow and ice during the winter months. Inside your home, be sure to keep return air grilles and heating vents clear of furniture, rugs and drapes to avoid interference with the flow of heat throughout your home.

Lowering your thermostat by a few degrees Celsius during the night while you’re sleeping and when no one is home will also keep both your energy footprint and costs down. A programmable thermostat is even better — it’ll automatically adjust the temperature, saving you as much as $66 a year.

A new ENERGY STAR® qualified furnace with a variable speed motor will also reduce energy costs and usage. An average home can save up to $576 in natural gas and electrical costs annually when upgrading from a standard 60 per cent efficiency natural gas furnace to a 95 per cent efficiency furnace with a high efficiency variable speed motor. See related article (Saving energy and saving money) for information on the advantages of buying through the ENERGY STAR® Loan Program.

Other Energy-Saving Tips

While upgrading to a high-efficiency, ENERGY STAR® qualified furnace and having your furnace checked annually help save energy and money, there are other steps that can help you increase your energy efficiency this winter.

• Applying weather stripping or caulking to windows and doors (exterior, garage and attic) will keep the warm air in and the cold air out. Applying plastic window film on the inside of windows is another easy and inexpensive way to prevent heat loss from your home. And, plug gaps around pipes, ducts, fans and vents that go through walls, ceilings and floor from heated to unheated spaces.

• Water heating is the second largest energy user in the home and can account for up to 20 per cent of energy costs, so reducing hot water usage is an important energysaving measure. Save on water heating costs by installing low-flow showerheads or faucets. A conventional showerhead can use up to 190 Litres of water during a 10-minute shower. Low-flow showerheads use up to 70 per cent less water and can help you save approximately 15 per cent on the cost of water heating.

• Use cold water when washing clothes and make sure to wash full loads. If you’re in the market for a new washing machine, choose a high-efficiency, front-loading model, as they save both water and energy.

• When using your dishwasher, wash only full loads and avoid using the “heated dry” setting.

• If you have an unfinished bsement or crawsl-space, check for air leaks by looking for spider webs — If there is a web, there is a draft. A large amount of heat is also lost from an un-insulated basement, so adding insulation will help keep the heat in and the cold out.

• Turn on the heat in your garage just prior to using it. You’ll save money and energy by not heating it continuously.

• On sunny days, open south-facing drapes and let the sun in to provide a natural source of heat, and close your drapes at night or if the windows don’t receive direct sunlight. For more energy saving tips, information on natural gas appliances and current energy efficiency programs to help you save energy and money, visit saskenergy.com or call 1-800-567-8899 or visit the Natural Resources Canada website at www.nrcan.gc.ca.

These stories were produced by Leader-Post Specialty Products to promote awareness of this topic for commercial purposes. The Leader-Post editorial department had no involvement in the creation of this content.