The winters in my local section are honestly long and super cold! With temperatures below cold and feet of snow on the ground, my buddy and I are trapped inside the apartment for more than half the year, the cost of running the boiler is a huge drain on the condo budget, i take the occasion to thoroughly clean the apartment while in 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 replace all of our pillows. I like to set up a ladder so that I can wipe walls, ceilings and overhead light fixtures. When I climbed the ladder last winter, I noticed a significant increase in temperature, then standing on the floor, I needed to wear a sweatshirt to keep warm! 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 temperature control settings, greater strain on the boiler and higher utility bills. The boiler was absolutely running longer than necessary and using more energy. The added wear and tear could shorten maintenance 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 to create a downdraft and a cooling breeze. In the winter, switching the fan direction to clockwise creates an updraft and distributes warm air around the room. There are a wide variety of sizes, styles and price ranges for ceiling fans. My husband and I were able to install the fans ourselves. They have made a noticeable improvement in comfort.