Holidays are when we gather with family and friends, creating new memories and reminiscing about old ones. It is warm, inviting, comfortable – and your southeast Michigan home should be just as warm! Of course, it is also when temperatures are plummeting, and you want your home to stay comfortable while keeping energy costs down. What issues may you face, and what can you do about it?
Take control of the temperature inside your home
While temperatures may fluctuate outdoors between milder days and those that are uncomfortably chilly during the holidays, you can still maintain control of the comfort inside your home. Some options include an auto-switching thermostat and the iComfort® S30 Smart Thermostat Perfect Temp. An auto-switching thermostat is capable of switching back and forth between heating and cooling modes, with no help from you. With the iComfort® S30 Smart Thermostat set the temperature you desire once, and the system maintains this temperature for you year-round whether it is summer, winter, snowing, raining, or sunny. Easy!
Keep your home warm during the holiday while saving on energy costs all season
Many homeowners in Ann Arbor and other areas of SE Michigan use gas furnaces to heat their homes during the holiday season and beyond. In some areas, this may not be the best solution because of the cost of natural gas when compared to electricity.
The solution? You may want to consider a dual-fuel system which essentially works by combining a gas furnace with a heat pump. When temperatures heat up in summer months, the heat pump works to provide cool air; in winter months, it provides warmth by switching to heating mode. When temperatures become brutally cold, the system switches to gas furnace automatically. According to the temperature, the system switches back and forth between electricity and gas, so you enjoy energy efficiency without raising a finger.
If you are going away for a few days over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, you want to save money on heating an empty home. The iComfort® S30 Smart Thermostat is truly a smart investment, as its “Smart Away” mode knows when your family is home, and when you are away! This amazing thermostat can determine if you are home or away using your family’s smartphones. When no one is home, the iComfort S30 will automatically reduce energy use by reducing the heat! It also works just the opposite in summer months, reducing cooling when your home’s empty.
Controlling temperatures when your home is buzzing with activity
During the holidays, many families have lots of company – and lots of cooking going on. When you put a large group of people in a room, it warms up from body heat; when the oven, stove top, and other appliances are in use, and there are lots of cooks busying about in preparation of a great meal, there can be substantial temperature differences from one room to the next. How to get a handle on the drastic temperature changes?
Zoning systems such as the Lennox iHarmony® Zoning system controls temperatures throughout your home by dividing it up into four sections or zones, each controlled by its thermostat. Zoning makes it possible for you to direct heated or cooled air precisely where you need it by simply opening or closing motorized dampers.
Zoning systems are also ideal when you have overnight guests for the holidays, as you can supply heat or air to the rooms your guests will use, and deliver little or no heating or cooling to guest rooms when they are empty the rest of the year. Talk about comfort and energy savings!
Give your guests (and yourself) the joy of a beautiful landscape
While closing the drapes is a practice many adhere to in winter months to help keep out cold drafts, it is a shame to miss all of the beautiful landscapes! Colder weather is when you can enjoy watching the snow as it gently falls, or brilliant sunshine on sunny days. Instead of closing the drapes when family and friends visit for the holidays, consider insulating cracks and filling any gaps that may exist. Clear shrink-wrap insulation is another option, as you can insulate the windows and still enjoy a gorgeous view without sacrificing your guests’ comfort or paying high energy costs.
Holiday guests mean constantly opening doors – stay comfortable
Holiday get-togethers mean the front door of your home will be opened and closed countless times. To prevent your heater from running constantly, try to have guests enter through the door that’s furthest away from the thermostat.
At Haley Mechanical, we wish you a warm and happy holiday season! Hopefully, the tips above will help you understand how to save on energy usage and costs while enjoying comfort all through the holidays.
