We’re dealing with a colder December than usual here in Southern California. True, it’s still mild compared to what many parts of the country are experiencing currently, but for us it’s enough to put our home heating systems to good use.
But we advise caution when using your home heating system, because it’s easy to waste money with thermostat settings and the times you choose to have the heater running. You probably don’t have enough experience handling the proper settings for a heater in this warm climate, and that’s why energy waste is an easy trap to fall into. But that’s why we’re here! We have some tips for keeping costs down.
Don’t run the heater when you’re not home
This is similar to the advice that we give regarding the air conditioner. There’s a myth that it is less expensive to keep a heating system operating when nobody is home because it consumes more power to turn it on and off, and if the house is already warm it takes much less power to make it warmer.
However, the facts don’t bear this out. The start-up cycle in a furnace, boiler, or heat pump does require more power, but that’s minor compared to the waste that goes into keeping a heater operating for hours when nobody is home. If you have a programmable thermostat (and you should have one installed if you don’t) it’s easy to program the heater to turn off when your gone and come on a half hour before you return—you’ll always have comfort, and you won’t waste power.
Thermostat settings
Don’t push the thermostat up to a high setting when you turn it on, since it doesn’t heat the home any faster—it only commits to the heater staying on longer. We recommend setting the thermostat to 68°F during the day when people are home, and then dropping it down by 8°F at night. This is comfortable for most people, and can reduce heating costs by a quarter.
Kilowatt Heating, Air Conditioning and Electrical offers excellent heating service to Calabasas, CA and throughout Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Call our certified service technicians 24/7 for exceptional customer service!