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Here in Lebanon County, our winters can be mild and comfortable, or they can be bitterly cold. When the temperature drops, there are things you can do to less the weather’s impact on your energy bill. Let the Sun In If you are blessed with a lot of windows in your home, considering pulling back the shades on the windows that face the sun during the cold winter days. This will allow as much light as possible into your home and can help warm your interior space during the daytime hours. While maybe not enough to eliminate the need for central heat, it can help relieve some of the strain on your furnace or heat pump. Consider Adding Space Heaters If you are like many people, your daily activities are limited to certain areas of your home. It may not make sense to fully heat your whole home when you are only using portions of it. Depending on your lifestyle and the layout of our home, you may be able to lower the thermostat and supplement the heating system in the rooms you occupy most with electric space heaters. When used properly, space heaters can be a safe and efficient way to take the chill off on cold winter nights. Dig out the Sweatshirts and Fuzzy Slippers If you like to get comfortable in a pair of warm slippers and a sweatshirt, cold winter days are perfect for you. Warm clothes will allow you to turn the thermostat down a few degrees while remaining comfortable. Close Your Chimney Flue When Not in Use Snuggling up close to a warm fireplace is wonderful in the winter, but a fireplace chimney that is designed to keep your home safe and smoke free can wreak havoc on your heat bill during the winter. Remember heat rises, so keep your flue closed when your fireplace is not in use. This will help keep the warm air from your heating system inside the house. Make Sure Your Furnace Filter is Clean Furnace filters have one job – filter out dirt and particulates from the air that flows through your furnace. Over time, filters get dirty and clogged. Clogged filters make your furnace work harder and use more energy. Do not waste energy unnecessarily. Change your furnace filter every 1 to 3 months. Lower the Temperature When You Are Not Home While the debate lingers as to what is the most energy efficient indoor temperature, we know that your furnace does not use energy when it is not running. Drop the temperature a few degrees when you leave for the day and warm it back up when you return. Your furnace will work less to maintain that lower temperature, and you will use less energy. Keeping your home in the low 60s is great for this type of thing. It is cooler, but not so cold that it takes a long time to warm back up. Keep your Furnace Properly Maintained We sometimes think this should go without saying, but we will say it anyway: a properly maintained system uses less energy than a dirty system that is not operating to its fullest potential. Call us at ECS Comfort Heating & Cooling to book your preventative maintenance appointment. It is never too late to clean your furnace. ECS Comfort Heating & Cooling has been in business since 1988 serving homeowners and small business owners across South Central Pennsylvania. From our office in Palmyra, we service the heating and cooling needs of Palmyra, Hershey, Annville, and all surrounding communities. We are a Daikin Pro Dealer and are proud to offer equipment with a 12-year manufacturer’s warranty on parts along optional labor warranties.