10 Best Ways to Keep Your House Warm in the Winter
A majority of households use forced-air systems such as furnaces and heat pumps to distribute warm air. Although the efficiency of heating systems has improved in recent years, a majority of homeowners face problems in the winter such as cold spots and warm air leaks. Easy ways to prevent the loss of warm air in your house include investing in radiant heating, configuring a programmable thermostat, and installing an energy-efficient furnace. We have compiled a list of tips to help you keep your house warm in the winter.
Table of Contents
How to Maintain a Warm Temperature in Your Home
Purchase a Energy-Efficient Furnace
The easiest way to heat your house during the winter season is to purchase a furnace with a high AFUE rating. The acronym AFUE stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. AFUE is a metric that is used to determine the total quantity of heat created for each dollar of gas consumed. A furnace with a high AFUE ratio is more efficient than a furnace with a low ratio. To save money on operational fees, it’s important to invest in a furnace with a high AFUE rating.
Gas and electric furnaces are equipped with a metal heat exchanger that is engineered to transfer heat energy to cold air. Once the furnace in your household receives a signal from the thermostat, gas is ignited to produce heat. Next, the flames in a furnace distribute heat energy to the heat exchanger. After the heat exchanger is hot, a blower fan in the furnace is activated to circulate cold air through the heat exchanger.
As the incoming cold air absorbs heat, its temperature will increase as it travels through the heat exchanger. Once the air is hot, the fan will distribute it to each room in your household through a network of air ducts. If your furnace is disbursing cold air through the supply vents, this is a sign of a damaged electronic igniter or heat exchanger. To keep your house warm in the winter, it’s important to purchase a furnace with a high AFUE ratio.
Install a Gas or Wood Stove
Although a furnace is designed to provide consistent warm air, a majority of homeowners will encounter problems with cold spots. If your living room is colder than the other areas of your house, a magnificent way to heat the house while enhancing your ambience is to install a stove. Depending on the type of stove you choose, gas or wood will be used to create extra heat in your home.
A standard furnace is assembled with a cast iron exterior, enclosed combustion chamber, air control valve, and brick base. Gas stoves are integrated with exhaust pipes that are connected to a flue or chimney. Once a gas stove is activated, gas is distributed through ventilation pipes to the combustion chamber. Next, the byproducts of the natural gas are distributed outside through the exhaust gas pipes.
Use a Gas or Oil Boiler
Oil and natural gas boilers are connected to water pipes that circulate hot water to radiators in each room of your house. Once the water in a boiler reaches a sufficient temperature, a water pump is activated to distribute the warm water to the radiators in each area of your home. A less prominent type of heating system that is not ordinarily used in new homes is a steam boiler. This type of boiler produces and disseminates steam through water pipes. When the steam reaches a radiator, it is transformed to water as its temperature decreases.
Gas and oil boilers are popular because they are easier to connect with zone control thermostats in each room when compared to furnaces. Boilers are supplied with thermostats, valves, and aquastats that allow you to monitor and adjust the distribution of water on your property. There are two types of gas boilers to be familiar with, traditional and condensing gas boilers. Condensing gas boilers are more efficient than classic boilers.
Related Article: Water Heater Sizing Tips
Install Warm Water Pipes Beneath the Floor
A brand new trend that is used in new housing consists of installing warm water pipes beneath the floor to provide heat. This type of heating method is also referred to as radiant heating. If you’re looking for the best energy-efficient ways to heat a house, radiant floor heating is one of the most cost-effective ways to keep your air warm in the winter season. Configuring hot water pipes beneath the floors will help decrease your energy consumption. Other types of radiant heating systems utilize electricity to distribute heat through the floors in a household.
Shut the Doors in Your Home
Each of the rooms in your house is equipped with supply and return vents that deliver warm air. Once the warm air is delivered to a location, cold air is extracted from the room by the return vents. If your master bedroom is cold, the source of the problem can be your door. Choosing to leave your door open will allow warm air to escape into unused rooms and enclosures in your household. To keep your house warm during the winter season, keep the doors closed in rooms that receive heavy usage. This simple adjustment will trap the warm air in the room and enhance your comfort.
Configure a Programmable Thermostat
Programmable thermostats make it easy to keep your house warm or cold at different times of the day. This type of thermostat allows you to save four or more temperature settings for the morning, afternoon, and evening. Programmable thermostats can be set to decrease the temperature in the winter when you’re away or asleep. If you get home from the office daily at 6:00 PM, set the thermostat to activate the furnace at 5:30 PM to ensure the air is warm when you arrive.
Related Article: Best Ways to Unclog a Sewer Line
Switch to a Heat Pump
Heat pumps are designed to transfer heat from a single location to another. A heat pump extracts heat energy from the cold outdoor air in the winter and distributes it to the interior of your house through a set of air ducts. On the other hand, the operation of a heat pump can be reversed in the summer to keep your house cold. To remove excess heat, the heat pump will collect heat energy from the indoor air and transfer it outside.
There are two main types of heat pumps used in residential environments. Ground-source heat pumps extract heat from the ground and transfer it to the indoor air. Air-source heat pumps collect heat from heat sinks in the summer and outdoor air in the winter. If you’re searching for the best ways to heat a house, a heat pump is engineered to deliver a higher amount of energy than it processes. The most widely adopted heat pump on residential properties is air-source heat pumps because they are easy to configure. On the other hand, an air-source heat pump cost less to purchase and install when compared to a ground-source heat pump.
Connect a Door Sweep to the Door
The exterior doors of a household do not always provide effective insulation from the exterior air. If you notice cold near the bottom of the front door, a cheap and easy way to keep your house warm in the winter is to buy a door sweep from your local hardware store. A door sweep is a long attachment that is designed to be installed along the interior edge of the door. To install a door sweep, grab a screwdriver and a couple of screws. This type of door attachment is usually assembled with nylon.
Purchase a Gas or Electric Space Heater
Space heaters are a fast way to supplement the heat produced by the furnace in your house. This type of heater is available in a couple of sizes, capacities, and forms. The two most common types of space heaters are electric and gas. Electric space heaters recommended over combustion heaters in small to medium sized rooms. The two most common types of electric space heaters are convection and infrared.
Install Hot Water Baseboard Radiators
A hot water basement radiator utilized miniature metal fins and water pipes to distribute heat in a household. The fins in the radiator are used to increase the efficiency of heat dissipation in a room. If you are researching ways to add heat to your house in the winter, this type of radiator can be easily integrated with an existing hot water boiler that is powered by liquid propane, oil, natural gas, or electricity.
Heating & Air Conditioning Services
If you’re having problems with your heat pump or furnace, give our team of licensed technicians a call by phone at (732) 201-3305 to schedule an appointment. Our team has been providing dependable air conditioning and furnace repair services to homeowners in New Jersey for 20 years. We offer HVAC services to households in areas of New Jersey such as Tom’s River, Jackson, Middleton, Manchester, and Trenton. We offer up-front pricing to ensure you are completely satisfied with out services.
Related Article: Types of Furnace Ignitor Issues & Troubleshooting Methods
