- Ensure your thermostat is located in an area that's not too cold or hot.
- Install an automatic timer to maintain the thermostat at 68 degrees in the daytime and 55 degrees during the nighttime.
- Use storm or thermal windows in colder areas. The layer of air between the windows acts as insulation and helps keep the heat inside where you are interested.
- If you haven't already, insulate your attic and all outside walls.
- Insulate floors over unheated spaces for example your basement, any crawl spaces and your garage.
- Close off the attic, garage, basement, spare bedrooms and storage areas. Heat just those rooms that you use.
- Seal gaps around any pipes, wires, vents or other openings that could transfer your heat to areas that are not heated.
- Dust is an excellent insulator and tends to build up on radiators and baseboard heat vents.
Most people have no idea that common indoor air quality practices reduce home air heating costs too:
- Rain and moist may bring moisture indoors, creating dampness, mold and mildew -- big problems for healthy indoor air. Check your roof, foundation and basement or crawlspace once a year to catch leaks or moisture problems and route water away from your home's foundation.
- Help to keep asthma triggers away from your home by fixing leaks and drips when they start. Standing water and high humidity encourage the growth of dust mites, mold and mildew -- probably the most common triggers that can worsen asthma. Make use of a dehumidifier or ac unit when needed, and clean both regularly.
- High levels of moisture in your house increase dampness and the growth of mold, which not only damage your home but threaten health. Install and run exhaust fans in bathrooms to remove unhealthy moisture and odors out of your home.
- Ventilate your kitchen stove directly outside or open a kitchen window when you cook. Keeping exhaust -- including cooking odors and particles -- outside of your home prevents dangerous fumes and particles from harming you or your family.
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