Can’t seem to keep your home warm during the winter? Of course, when your furnace or heat pump turns on, you expect it to warm your home. Furnaces and heat pumps are centralized heating systems and under normal circumstances, they should meet your winter heating needs.
Unfortunately, you may lose some of the heat produced by your furnace or heat pump. There are several common sources of indoor heat loss, here are our top 5, plus some simple and some not so simple solutions.
#1 Windows
Heat can escape out of your home through the windows. Windows, of course, are typically made of glass panes. While glass is somewhat insulative, heat can still pass through the glass and subsequently escape your home.
There are some solutions to this problem. You can make your windows more energy efficient by using thermal curtains, applying window tint film, or by upgrading to double-pane windows.
#2 Open Flue Damper
An open flue damper can allow heat to escape from your home. If your home has a fireplace, it will likely have a flue damper. The flue damper is an adjustable valve at the top of the firebox.
You can open it to vent smoke and combustion gases through the chimney. If you aren’t using your fireplace you should keep it closed. Leaving the flue damper open all the time will result in heat loss.
#3 Window AC Units
Neglecting to remove window AC units can result in heat loss. During the summer, many homeowners use window AC units to cool large rooms. Window AC units are essentially small, packaged AC systems that feature both an evaporator coil and a condenser coil. If you’re going to use them, though, you should remove them during the winter.
#4 Uninsulated Walls
Walls with little or no insulation are another common source of heat loss. Heat can pass through nearly all objects, including walls. As you know, insulation is designed to restrict the passage of heat. You can trap more of the heat inside of your home by insulating the exterior walls.
#5 Attic
Finally, the attic is a common source of heat loss in most homes. Some reports suggest that the average home loses nearly one-quarter of its heat through the attic. Since heat rises, if your attic isn’t properly sealed, heat will escape through it.
To prevent this from happening, you’ll need to seal and insulate your attic.
If you are experiencing a problem with your air conditioning or heating call us at 512-336-1431 to schedule an appointment. We’ll be glad to come out and take a look at the issue.
1431-183 A/C & Heating proudly serves Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Leander, Liberty Hill, and North Austin.
