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Home Heating Issues
Going Green
Going Green: Home Heating Issues
Most people find out they have home heating problems in the winter. Cold temperatures combined with icy winds quickly demonstrate any weaknesses in your home heating system, like too much outside air getting inside.
“There are couple things at this time of year that people are typically concerned about and one of them is drafts. Wrapping windows in plastic using the kits you find in hardware stores are a very efficient way to improve the thermal comfort,” said Paul Crovella, from SUNY ESF.
Another area that's a concern is humidity inside the house. That comes about because of the dryness in the cold air and the more of that getting into the house, the dryer the house gets. Cutting out those drafts will also improve the humidity and make you more comfortable in that regard.
And once you're comfortable, sustainable construction instructor Paul Crovella says then you can look at a more permanent solution and that doesn't necessarily mean putting in a new furnace.The question of when to replace a furnace and what to replace that furnace with is best looked at in light of how is the whole house working. In other words, how well is the house insulated, what kind of windows do you have in it. When the rest of the envelope or the shell of the house really gets sealed many times a new furnace can be a good improvement toward cutting down on bills.
These structural improvements have summertime benefits too.
So anything you can do to seal up the home, if you have an air conditioner for summer conditioning as well, is going to be an improvement. Essentially, it's the same thing but we've just got a difference in terms of where the warmth is and where the cold air is. All those improvements will pay dividends both in the summer and during the winter.
