Keep Your Home Warm & Cosy: How to Maintain Your Central Heating System
One of the most beautiful seasons of the year is autumn, but when it's about to end, it already signals the arrival of wintertime. If this is the case, then you should start taking out your coats and shirts which you can layer over your body, so that you can keep warm throughout the cold season.
For your home, there are plenty of things that you can do in order to prepare it for winter. First of all, you can replace the light curtains with heavy drapes to keep the draft out. Second, you can beef up the insulation of the walls, doors, windows, attic and other parts of the house where the cold might seep through. Third, you can clean the fireplace or any part of the house where you prepare open fires to keep your home warm.
More importantly, you need to check on the central heating system of your home. Is your radiator ten years old or more? If it is, now might be a good time to have them replaced. Remember that heating and cooling takes up about 50% of your utility bills. The older models are not that energy-efficient anymore so if you do not pay any more in utility bills than you have to, then replacing your current heating system with a more energy efficient one is a wise investment.
Factors to Consider for Central Heating System Installation
Now that you already have an idea about the importance of making sure that you have an energy-efficient central heating system, what are the things that you need to consider when having a new one installed in your home? Take a look at the following list:
• DIY or through a contractor?
Just like any other homemaking project, there's a do-it-yourself method of installing a central heating system in your home. However, it is not recommended if you have no plumbing or electrical installation experience whatsoever. Central heating system installation is a large-scale project which is better handled by someone who has more experience with such types of installation.
• Which size of a radiator should I get to sufficiently heat up my home?
If you are working with a contractor, you will be given a quotation on how many radiators and water heaters are required. It's not a good idea to scrimp on money at this stage of the installation, because there are plenty of cost-effective options which should be recommended by the contractor. He or she could recommend the size and number of radiators to sufficiently heat up your home.
• Electric or gas?
Another factor that you need to consider when having a central heating system installed is whether it should be gas or electric-powered. Depending on the size of room that needs to be heated, gas is usually a more cost-effective option than electric.
By taking these factors into consideration, you can have an energy-efficient central heating system which can sufficiently warm up your home during the cold days and nights of winter.
For your home, there are plenty of things that you can do in order to prepare it for winter. First of all, you can replace the light curtains with heavy drapes to keep the draft out. Second, you can beef up the insulation of the walls, doors, windows, attic and other parts of the house where the cold might seep through. Third, you can clean the fireplace or any part of the house where you prepare open fires to keep your home warm.
More importantly, you need to check on the central heating system of your home. Is your radiator ten years old or more? If it is, now might be a good time to have them replaced. Remember that heating and cooling takes up about 50% of your utility bills. The older models are not that energy-efficient anymore so if you do not pay any more in utility bills than you have to, then replacing your current heating system with a more energy efficient one is a wise investment.
Factors to Consider for Central Heating System Installation
Now that you already have an idea about the importance of making sure that you have an energy-efficient central heating system, what are the things that you need to consider when having a new one installed in your home? Take a look at the following list:
• DIY or through a contractor?
Just like any other homemaking project, there's a do-it-yourself method of installing a central heating system in your home. However, it is not recommended if you have no plumbing or electrical installation experience whatsoever. Central heating system installation is a large-scale project which is better handled by someone who has more experience with such types of installation.
• Which size of a radiator should I get to sufficiently heat up my home?
If you are working with a contractor, you will be given a quotation on how many radiators and water heaters are required. It's not a good idea to scrimp on money at this stage of the installation, because there are plenty of cost-effective options which should be recommended by the contractor. He or she could recommend the size and number of radiators to sufficiently heat up your home.
• Electric or gas?
Another factor that you need to consider when having a central heating system installed is whether it should be gas or electric-powered. Depending on the size of room that needs to be heated, gas is usually a more cost-effective option than electric.
By taking these factors into consideration, you can have an energy-efficient central heating system which can sufficiently warm up your home during the cold days and nights of winter.