Heating Tips

Apply an Effective Coating to Your Roof: about a third of the unwanted heat that builds up in the home comes in through the roof.

Apply a reflective coating to your existing roof. Standard roofing coatings are available at your local hardware store. Purchase one that has both waterproof and reflective properties. These are marketed primarily for mobile homes and recreational vehicles, but can be applied over many common roofing materials." (Cooling Your Home Naturally)



Weatherize Your Home: an uninsulated attic can raise your heating and cooling costs

Ceiling and attic

Install R-30 insulation in your attic.


Air can leaking through windows and doorways: Roughly 40% of the heat loss in your home comes in through windows. (Cooling Your Home Naturally)

  • Apply caulking and weather stripping to keep heated air from escaping.
  • Be aware that when you seal doorways and windows, you can increase the risks caused by indoor pollutants such as allergens and carbon monoxide. 



Don't Heat an Empty House: don't pay to heat an empty building

  • In the winter, lower the temperature on your thermostat before you leave home. "A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. This misconception has been dispelled by years of research and numerous studies. The fuel required to reheat a building to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower temperature. You save fuel between the time that the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. So, the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save." (Consumer Energy Information: EREC Fact Sheet)
  • If your home is regularly empty during the day, invest in an automatic setback or programmable thermostat. These thermostats are also recommended for business which are empty at night or on the weekends.



Maintain Your Furnace: the biggest users of energy in your home are your heating and cooling systems

You wouldn't drive your car year after year without changing its oil or taking it in for a tune-up. Yet many people run their furnace for years without having them serviced. The results are unnecessarily high energy costs and a reduced lifespan for their heating systems.

  • If you use standard filters, change them monthly. If you use an electrostatic filter, remember to hose it down regularly.
  • Make sure your heating equipment is properly sized for your home. Operating a unit that is too small or too large is highly inefficient. A unit that can't quite keep up on the hottest afternoons or on the coldest nights, may well be a unit that's too small for your home or place of business. A Bob's Heating and Air Conditioning technician can determine the best size unit for your residence or business facility.
  • Install ceiling fans to boost the efficiency of your air conditioner in the summer and to circulate warm air away from the ceiling in the winter.
  • If you have a large home, consider the installation of a zoning system. This system regulates airflow and temperature so that you only have to cool or heat the area of your home that you're using.
  • Have a licensed technician check your heating system each fall. Bob's Heating and Air Conditioning performs heating check-ups in Denver and the surrounding areas. An annual check up can ensure that your unit is running efficiently, can prolong the life span of your heater, and can guard against dangerous carbon monoxide leaks. For prices and a detailed description of what a heating check-up includes, click here.
  • When purchasing a new air conditioner or heat pump, check its SEER (Seasonal Energy Effiency Rating) rating. This rating tells you how efficiently a unit uses electricity. The higher the number, the greater the efficiency.
  • When the time comes to replace your unit, consider the purchase of an Energy Efficient Janitrol.   Newer furnaces and air conditioners are available that are far more energy efficient than older models.  Replacing your old furnace with a new, energy efficient model is your best defense against high energy costs.

Financial Benefits

"Energy efficiency is key to controlling the cost of heating your home. Older central heating systems rate at 60% AFUE meaning only 60% of the gas burned contributes to your home heating. The remaining 40% is lost energy wasteful and expensive. The GMNT's 92.6% AFUE rating means $0.926 of every $1.00 of heating energy expense warms your home." (Janitrol: GMNT High Efficiency Gas Furnace).


Environmental Benefits

Reduced energy usage not only saves you money but also benefits the environment, as less non-replaceable fossil fuels are required to cool or heat your residence or place of business. Furthermore, new Janitrol equipment is tightly sealed not to leak harmful Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) that have been associated with destruction of the Earth's protective ozone layer. The destruction of the ozone layer is suspected of causing an increase in skin cancers. (Energy Efficiency is Good for You and the Environment)


Zone Your Home: don't pay to heat empty bedrooms during the day, or an empty living room and kitchen at night

  • If you have a large home, consider the installation of a zoning system. Using dampers, system regulates airflow and temperature so that you only have to heat the area of your home that you're using.
  • A popular alternative to zoning is installing two or more units in different areas of a large home. Consult with a heating design contractor to determine which system would work best for your home.

More Information:

Energy Saving Tips for Manufactured Homes" from Puget Sound Energy