Like it or not, winter will be around for a bit longer. With that in mind, it’s a good time for Busting Common Heating Myths.

We at Albuquerque Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling have over 50 years of combined experience in the home services industry, and we love sharing our knowledge and expertise. This time we’re using our experience to help our customers be more comfortable and save some money by Busting Common Heating Myths.

Myth #1: It’s cheaper to run space heaters in a few rooms than to run a gas heating system.

Nope! If you’re home runs on natural gas, consider yourself lucky; it’s more efficient and much less expensive than electric heating. Don’t waste your money using electricity to heat your home when you’re already ahead in the heating game by using natural gas.

Myth #2: Ceiling fans are just for staying cool.

False! Most fans can switch directions. The clockwise setting will help push the warm air that has risen back toward the room. This not only helps keep the room warm but keeps the warm air in the house, and not escaping out the ceiling.

Myth #3: Turning off the heater saves money.

Bogus! Your heater will work harder (and cost more money) to raise the temperature of a big difference (say, from 55 to 68 degrees). And since you can’t keep your heater off all winter, at some point it will have to play catch up. Keep the thermostat at a more constant temp. But not too constant.

Myth #4: Keeping the temperature the same all day/night is best.

Phony! A swing of a few degrees is the smartest way to handle temperature control. If no one is home during the day, lower it to 63-65 degrees (assuming it will come up to 67/68 when you get home).

Myth #5: Closing vents in rooms not used helps heat the rest of the house better.

Fake! HVAC Systems are very complex and designed to balance the pressure load throughout the home. By closing off vents you disrupt the system and can actually cause it to work harder, costing you money.

Honorable Mentions

Based on some of the other myths out there, here are a few things to NOT do:

Crank the Thermostat: The house won’t heat any faster if you do, just set it to where you’re normally comfortable and be patient.
Rely Solely on the Fireplace: The ambience is nice and it helps warm the room it’s in, but that’s the extent of it.
Unnecessary Replacements: New windows or water heater could help your heating bill but maybe not enough to offset the expense. Try lowering the temp on your water heater to 120 and do a serious analysis on the cost savings of new windows before spending the money.

As always, we are here to help with any of your heating needs. Give us a call!