When it comes to heating your home, finding ways to save both money and energy are essential for most homeowners. You want your home to be as energy efficient as possible, which helps you get more heat without increasing your utility bills. From our years of experience with working on the chimneys and fireplaces in the Shenandoah Valley area, Blue Ridge Chimney Services has learned several important energy savings tips that can help you this fall and winter. We would like to share with you these ways to cut back on your energy usage this year.
Before lighting the first fire of the year:
Schedule your appointment for your annual professional chimney maintenance services. You most likely know that you need to have your chimney professionally swept and inspected every year for safety reasons to reduce your risks of chimney fires and carbon monoxide leaks. However, these annual chimney maintenance services can also ensure your chimney and fireplace system will work at its highest efficiency level. You can count on Blue Ridge Chimney Services to make sure of this when we sweep and inspect your chimney.
Install glass fireplace doors on your fireplace.
Recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy, installing glass fireplace doors can help you save energy and get more warmth from your fireplace for less money. To really maximize the amount of heat you get from your fireplace, you can also install a heat-air exchange system that will blows heated air back into the room.
Close your damper when your fireplace is not in use.
It can be easy to forget to close your damper during the fall and winter because you must have it open whenever you burn a fire in your fireplace; however, an open damper can allow a great deal of cold outside air to enter your home. This is why you should always check to see if your damper is completely closed whenever you are not using your fireplace.
Adjust your thermostat.
When you are using your fireplace, you should remember to adjust your thermostat accordingly. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends lowering the setting to somewhere between 50 to 55 degrees. This can greatly reduce your energy usage during the fall and winter.
By following these tips, you can save both energy and money this fall and winter without sacrificing any heat in your home. Contact us at Blue Ridge Chimney Services for all of your professional chimney and fireplace maintenance, repair, and installation needs.