The winters in my local area are actually long and super cold! With hot and cold temperatures below freezing and feet of snow on the ground, my associate and I are trapped inside the home for more than half the year, the cost of running the boiler is a big drain on the house budget! I take the occasion to thoroughly clean the home during the winter.
It’s the perfect time to clean behind the refrigerator, transfer furniture around and organize the closets.
I launder the bedding and curtains and upgrade all of our pillows. I like to set up a ladder so that I can clean walls, ceilings and overhead light fixtures. When I climbed the ladder last winter, I noticed a significant increase in temperature, standing on the floor, I needed to wear a sweatshirt to keep warm, but at the top of the ladder, I immediately started to sweat. That told me that the heat from the boiler was rising straight up to the ceiling. Stratification leads to higher control unit settings, greater strain on the boiler and higher energy bills. The boiler was easily running longer than necessary and using more energy. The added wear and tear could shorten repair life and increase the risk of malfunctions. I did some research and found that ceiling fans are suggested for improving efficiency. The ceiling fans should be set to turn counterclockwise in the summer time to create a downdraft and a cooling breeze. In the winter, switching the fan direction to clockwise creates an updraft and distributes hot air around the room. There are a wide variety of sizes, styles and price ranges for ceiling fans; My fiance and I were able to install the fans ourselves. They have made a noticeable improvement in comfort.