Heating and Cooling

Heating and cooling your home uses more energy and costs more money than any other system
in your home—typically making up about 54% of your utility bill. No matter what kind of heating and cooling system you have in your house, you can save money and increase your comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading your equipment. But remember, an energyefficient furnace alone will not have as great an impact on your energy bills as using the whole-house approach.
By combining proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with recommended insulation, air sealing, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy use for heating and cooling—and reduce environmental emissions—from 20%-50%.

Heating and Cooling Tips
• Set your programmable thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winterand as high as is comfortable in the summer, as well as when you’re sleeping or away from home.

• Clean or replace filters  on furnaces and air conditioners once a month or as  recommended.

• Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; makesure they’re not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.

• Eliminate trapped air from hot-waterradiators once or twice a season; if unsure about how to perform thistask, contact a professional.

• Place heat-resistant radiatorreflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.

• Turn off kitchen, bath, and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes after you are done cooking or bathing; when replacing exhaust fans, consider installing high-efficiency, low-noise models.

• During winter, keep the draperies and shades on your south-facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.

Source of Information : Energy Savers