Whenever those bone-chilling Arctic cold air blasts sweep down into New Jersey, we all appreciate our oil-heated homes. That’s because heating oil is a powerful fuel renowned for warming homes evenly and efficiently.
But when outdoor temperatures drop into the single-digits and the wind chill gets to be well below zero, some people get worried that they will start burning too much fuel. And that’s when New Jersey homeowners will try extra hard to save a little money on heat.
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to save money on heating your home, you need to do it in a smart way and never take chances with your safety. Here are just two common home heating mistakes people often make.
If you have a warm-air furnace, an air register is where the heat is released into your home. The air flow of a register can be changed by adjusting its damper.
Unfortunately, a common mistake is completely closing off the air registers in seldom-used rooms. The belief is that this will conserve heat and save money by not sending heat to all rooms in the home, but this is not recommended.
Closing some registers disrupts normal air flow, causing an imbalance that will just make your furnace work harder. Closing registers can also raise the risk of frozen pipes, especially in rooms that tend to be on the cold side anyway.
It’s always better to keep the temperature at a comfortable level throughout your home and program your thermostat to energy-saving settings when your home is empty, or everyone is asleep.
You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68°F while you’re awake and setting it about 8°F lower while you’re asleep or away from home. But you should not set your thermostat below 60°.
Moving the setting on your thermostat too low is another way to raise your risk of frozen pipes. Water pipes near outside walls or in unheated spaces are especially prone to freeze-ups. The risk increases if cracks in your foundation allow cold air to enter.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the lower the interior temperature, the slower the heat loss. So, the longer your house stays at the lower temperature, the more energy you save, because your house has lost less energy than it would have at the higher temperature.
The same concept applies to raising your thermostat setting in the summer — a higher temperature inside your home will slow heat gain into your house, saving you money on air conditioning costs.
The U.S. Energy Department asserts that you can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply adjusting your thermostat 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its normal setting.
If your heating oil furnace or heating oil boiler has not been keeping you warm enough this winter, reach out to your New Jersey heating oil service company for advice.
Homeowners in New Jersey can now claim a federal tax credit of up to $600 for installing ENERGY STAR-certified heating oil systems that use renewable fuel blends of at least 20% biodiesel.
Since many heating oil companies in New Jersey install high-efficiency heating oil systems compatible with Bioheat® fuel, there is a good chance you can qualify for this tax credit! Please reach out to your heating oil company to get started. It’s also a good idea to speak with your tax professional to learn how you can apply these tax credits to your next federal income tax return.