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Rhoads Energy has been proudly serving the heating
and cooling needs of Lancaster County since 1917. |
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Article - Preparing for Winter: Prepare your home now – enjoy savings
all winter long by Michael DeBerdine III, CEO, Rhoads Energy |
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Baseball season is still winding down, and college football's just heating up. Still, it's not too early to start preparing your home for winter. Why? It can save you hundreds of dollars.
According to the Energy Department, the average American household spends more than a third of its energy budget just for home heat. Here in Lancaster, that percentage could be higher; after all, our winters are colder than those in Florida and Arizona.
By now, most consumers realize that energy prices will be subject to volatility this winter, no matter how you heat - natural gas, electricity, heating oil or propane. This winter, homeowners will see a greater benefit from preparing their homes to cut down on energy usage.
Here are ideas we regularly share with Rhoads Energy customers on how to trim their heating costs:
Seek peak efficiency
If your heating system operates at its optimal efficiency, it uses less energy, which can translate into big savings. According to one Environmental Protection Agency estimate, regularly maintained heating units can save a typical household as much as 13 percent every heating season. Regular maintenance can also extend the life of a heating unit heating system by 20 to 30 percent.
The Department of Energy recommends having gas-fired equipment serviced every other year and having oil-fired boilers (about 40% of Lancaster County homes have them) professionally cleaned and tuned once a year.
When you schedule regular maintenance, make sure you work with an established company that has experienced technicians. At Rhoads Energy, we require all our technicians to earn a Gold Certification, our industry's quality assurance program. Be sure your provider has a similar requirement.
There are other basic steps you can take to improve system efficiency. Before heating season, clean your warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators. Make sure they are not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes. You'll also want to set your thermostat as low as you can while still keeping your family comfortable.
During the heating season, be sure to clean or replace your furnace filters, if your system has them, once a month. Also consider purchasing a programmable thermostat. By trimming back from 72 degrees to 65 degrees for eight hours a day, you can cut your heating bill up to 10 percent.
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