Heating
Couple enjoying home comfort in San Antonio, TX

Although it doesn’t get extremely cold here in San Antonio, TX, homes in our area still require reliable heat in the winter. However, heating a home here can get quite pricey. For that reason, residents here often look for ways to save money on their heating bills every time winter rolls around. Our heating experts at Air Authority, A Riteway Service Company put together this list of five great ways to heat your home for less.

1. Let the Sunshine In

If there’s one thing we have plenty of here in San Antonio, it’s sunshine. And the sun can be your greatest ally in your quest to keep your heating bills low in the winter.

To make the most of the sun’s warmth, open up your blinds and curtains on the eastern side of your house each morning. Then, as the sun moves across the sky, close those blinds and curtains and open up the ones on the western side of your home. Doing this will keep your home several degrees warmer than it would otherwise be throughout the day.

For even better results, you can also install insulated curtains on your windows. That way, when you close them all at night, you will trap more accumulated solar heat inside your home. As a result, you will lower your overnight heating demand as well.

2. Improve Your Home’s Insulation

If you live in an older home, there is a chance that its insulation isn’t up to the task of keeping warm air inside in the winter. Old homes in our area weren’t designed with winter temperatures in mind. They also weren’t built with energy efficiency as a core design principle. As a result, your home might be losing a substantial amount of heat through its walls and attic.

Upgrading your home’s insulation can help you save up to 15% on your energy costs, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since heating a home makes up about 45% of the average household’s energy usage, the majority of that savings will come from lowering your winter heating bills.

3. Schedule a Heating Maintenance Appointment

You can also save substantial sums on your winter heating bills by having preventative maintenance performed on your HVAC system. Regular maintenance ensures that your heating works at maximum efficiency all winter long. For example, if your home has a gas furnace that hasn’t been properly maintained over time, it could be operating at an efficiency level between 20% and 40% below its capabilities. When you consider that the average gas furnace is 80% efficient when new, that is a massive drop-off. It could mean you are wasting 60 cents of every heating dollar you spend!

4. Install a Smart Thermostat

Another great way to save money on heating costs is to install a smart thermostat. A smart thermostat will help your heating system operate more efficiently without you having to sacrifice any comfort. According to the EPA, the average ENERGY STAR-certified smart thermostat can trim about 8% off your annual heating bills.

Smart thermostats utilize a Wi-Fi connection to allow users to adjust their home’s temperature settings through a mobile device. At a minimum, most smart thermostats allow users to preprogram desired settings so that you’re not overheating your home while nobody is there. Some smart thermostats “learn” your daily routines and adjust your home’s temperature accordingly. Some even have geofencing capabilities that adjust your thermostat to a comfortable level as you approach your home after a day away.

According to smart thermostat manufacturers, you may get even better results than that. For example, Nest puts the average heating savings generated by its smart thermostats at 12%. And Ecobee claims that users of its smart thermostats can save up to 26%. In any case, a smart thermostat offers a relatively inexpensive way to improve your heating system’s efficiency and put money back in your pocket.

5. Upgrade Your Home’s Heating System

The final and most effective way to cut your San Antonio home’s heating costs is to upgrade your heating system to a more efficient one. If your home is like most homes in this area, it likely has a gas furnace as its primary heating system. If it is over 20 years old, it may have been only up to 78% efficient when it was new. Even if it was installed within the past decade, odds are that it was no more than 80% efficient when new.

For example, you could install a new high-efficiency gas furnace with an efficiency rating of up to 98.5% to significantly cut your winter heating bills. Alternatively, you could replace your gas furnace with a heat pump. Heat pumps are a technology that is well-suited to the climate here in San Antonio. They work most efficiently at temperatures of 40 F and higher. On average, that is as low as temperatures get in our region in the winter months.

In those ideal conditions, some heat pumps can operate at efficiency levels approaching 400%! As a result, homes with heat pumps routinely have heating bills between 20% and 40% lower than homes with conventional heating systems. Plus, heat pumps also offer an energy-efficient way to cool your home. Installing one in your home could guarantee years of ultra-efficient heating and cooling in a single package.

If your home lacks ductwork and relies on baseboard heating or another heat source, you can still take advantage of the efficiency heat pumps offer. You can do so by installing a ductless mini-split heat pump system. Such systems have a single outdoor unit connected to multiple indoor air handlers installed throughout your home. They are an excellent way to add efficient heating and cooling that does not require tearing apart your home’s finished walls.

Ductless mini-split heat pumps have other advantages, too. For one thing, they offer zoned heating and cooling by default. That can help you save more money because it allows you to set different temperatures in each room of your home. That way, you don’t have to waste money on overheating rooms that don’t need it. It also allows everyone in your home to enjoy customized comfort all year round. You can even turn off individual air handlers completely to save even more on your heating costs.

The HVAC Money-Saving Experts

Are you interested in lowering your San Antonio home’s heating costs? The experts here at Air Authority, A Riteway Service Company can help. We’ve spent the past decade serving homes and businesses in the area, offering comprehensive HVAC services, including installation, maintenance, and repair. We also provide indoor air quality solutions, ductwork services, insulation, and thermostats. Plus, we’re Better Business Bureau accredited and maintain an A+ rating. We even offer financing on approved credit if you’re thinking about upgrading to a new efficient heating system. So, if you want to upgrade your San Antonio home’s heating system or need help with some of the other efficiency upgrades mentioned here, call Air Authority, A Riteway Service Company today!

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