THERM’S TOP 5 WAYS TO SHOW YOUR FURNACE SOME LOVE:
Replace your Furnace Filter:
Changing the furnace filter regularly will help keep clean air flowing throughout your home. If the filter becomes dirty or clogged, it will restrict airflow and cause the furnace to stay on longer – using more fuel. It’s only a couple of dollars, and can make a big difference in furnace efficiency.
Remove Flammable/Combustible Materials Near your Furnace:
Aerosol cans, paints, flammable cleaners, gasoline or gasoline-powered equipment should be kept out of utility rooms. It’s also dangerous for clothes, boxes or items to be stored or piled up near appliances. There have been situations where a paint can was knocked of a shelf, fell to the ground with the tip breaking off. The uncontrolled release of fumes ignited the water heater pilot light and caused a fire.
Give your Furnace Room to Breathe:
You know how when you blow on a fire, it burns better? Same principle applies here. And make sure your air vents, cold-air returns and heat registers are clear, too.
A furnace needs lots of air for two reasons: One, furnaces need air to breath. For every foot of gas that burns, ten feet of air are required. If the air vents to the outside or other areas of the house are blocked, the furnace burners can’t operate efficiently because the flames lack proper air supply (the more you fan a campfire, the better it burns).
Two, the cold-air return has nothing to do with the air the furnace needs for the burner flames. Instead, the furnace blower sucks warm air in your home through the cold-air return vents and cycles the air past the hot heat-exchanger in the furnace. As the air is moved past this heat-exchanger, it is reheated and forced back into the home. If the cold-air vents are blocked by clothes, couches, curtains, etc., less air flows past the heat exchanger, thus requiring more time to heat the air to a point where the thermostat shuts off the furnace. The longer the furnace stays on, the more it costs to heat your home.
Install a Programmable Thermostat:
Your furnace won’t have to work as hard while you’re asleep or at work and you’ll cut your energy costs.
Have your Furnace Inspected by Licensed Heating Contractors
A periodic furnace inspection by a heating professional will ensure safe, efficient operation. Your furnace won’t have to work as hard while you’re asleep or at work and you’ll cut your energy costs.
Home-Energy Audit Program:
1. Call 1-800-695-7375 to schedule a home-energy audit and for only $25 a Questar Gas technician will visit your home and give you energy-efficient recommendations.
2. Visit thermwise.com or call 1-801-324-5331 and get an audit you can fill out at home.
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