Written on: February 5, 2015

Learning How to Save Money and Stay Comfortable

We love kids! They have a lot of wisdom and they’re not shy about asking questions. Follow along as Ava and Jarrett quiz us about what we do. What they learn could make a difference in your own comfort—and save you money too!

How do you know that thing is going to work right?

Well, if this were a refrigerator, we would just bring it to your house, plug it in and we would be done. But a heating system is not that easy. First, we had to figure out what size system works best for your home and family.

Do systems come in small, medium and large?

Not exactly. When we talk about size, we’re talking about how much power the system has, sort of like a car’s engine. A system that has more power than your house needs will waste money. But if there isn’t enough power, your home will not feel comfortable. And it will cost more money because a system that’s too small will keep running and running.

What size fits just right?

There are tests that help us figure out how much heat your home loses in the winter. This is one way we know how much power your home’s heating system needs.

Once we pick out the right equipment, we make sure we put it in the right way. Some companies take shortcuts, but then the heater won’t work right. Your family will spend more money and your house won’t feel comfortable enough. We don’t take shortcuts. We always do things the right way because you’re important to us. We want you to feel comfortable and save money.

We’re trying to save for college. What else can we do to save money?

Replace old equipment.
Because we’re putting in a new heating system, your family is probably going to save hundreds of dollars every year on energy. You’ll also save money on repairs, because old machines break a lot. New ones, if they’re taken care of properly, will have very few problems.

Take care of your equipment.
Proper maintenance is essential to keeping equipment running efficiently and saving money. Your parents can talk to us about a service plan or maintenance program.

Change the temperature in your home.
You can probably help your parents with this. There are programmable thermostats that let you set the temperature you want at different times of the day and night. You don’t need to keep your home as warm when you’re sleeping or away from home, so this saves you money. There are also “smart” programmable thermostats that let you change the temperature with your smartphone or computer at any time, no matter where you are. If you use a programmable thermostat right, you may be able to help your parents save about $100 a year.

Do some window dressing.
Here’s another one you can help out with. In the morning, open the window blinds and let sunlight heat up your home naturally during the day. At night, close drapes to hold in the heat and keep out the cold. You can also stop cold air from getting inside by taping clear plastic film to the inside of the window frames.