Can a House Temperature Be Kept Too Warm?
It’s chilly here in the Pacific Northwest, and walking into a warm and dry house is one of the great pleasures of the winter. However, your home heating system can be your largest energy expense in your home. If your rising energy bills are breaking the bank, there are certainly a few ways you can conserve some of that energy and cut down the cost. Besides, a house can be kept too warm.
While your house temperature is a matter of personal preference, we want to inform you about problems that might accumulate when a house is kept too warm and brainstorm ways to cool things down, without sacrificing your comfort.
1. Roofing
Remember that heat rises. If you consistently overheat your home, your attic space and the roof of your home could suffer the consequences. Attic spaces aren’t typically known for their great airflow, so the stagnant, hot, humid air could build up there and stay warmer for a longer time. That excess heat and moisture might affect your roof from the inside of the house, causing the shingles on your roof to crack and deteriorate, and create leaks.
Remember also that heated items tend to expand. If your shingles expand, they can warp or break apart. Excess heat could dry out the caulking around flashing and windows and, in extreme cases, could weaken the structure of your roof.
2. Humidity
In the Pacific Northwest, moisture is a perennial issue. If you keep your house at a constantly high house temperature, moisture will be more prevalent and more difficult to get rid of. You can decrease moisture or humidity in an attic space by installing vapor barriers, and there are dehumidifiers you can run in the rest of your house to take some of that water out of the air. Your drywall and wood floors will thank you.
3. Air Quality
In a warm, humid environment, mold and mildew can run rampant if they aren’t stopped. And they tend to be more insidious since, unlike other damage, they don’t happen overnight. It can take a long time for it to grow and a long time for you to discover the problem too.
When those spores from the mold are released into the air inside your home, you and your family could suffer from heightened allergy symptoms and asthma. Being sure that your air quality is as clean as possible will be good for you and will have less of an impact on your home’s furnishings and hard surfaces.
If Those Are the Problems, What Are the Solutions?
We have good news for you: there are plenty of ways to fix or mitigate these issues. First of all, you could properly maintain your ducts and ventilation—something we know a little something about. Regular cleaning and maintenance of your ducts throughout your home helps to recognize issues before they cause problems and saves you money in the long run.
The first thing you should figure out is what house temperature you find to be the most comfortable. In the winter. A house should be kept at least at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, but no more than 78 degrees Fahrenheit. That gives you a lot of leeway to figure out where you like to keep the temperature during a typical day.
If your thermostat is usually over this marker, contact us today so we can assess where your heat is going. Like we’ve seen, a constant high temperature could lead to damage, and you’re probably paying too much for your heating bills on top of that.
Maybe you have some large house repairs coming up: If you’re installing a new roof soon, make sure to ask your roofer about sealing your roof and installing a lighter color of roofing tiles or shingles. This way, the heat of the sun will reflect instead of being absorbed into your home. You’ll especially enjoy the benefits of that feature in the summer, when you’re trying to stay cool, and in the winter, you won’t have to fight with your thermostat.
There are plenty of little things you can do in the day-to-day to turn down your heat without feeling chilly.
1. Plan Your Day
When you turn your heat off, depending on how old your house is, it can take 30 minutes to an hour for the ambient temperature to disperse. That means that if you have errands to run in the middle of the day, you can turn off your heat half an hour before you plan to leave and not feel any cooler. Then, when you come home, you can turn the heat back on and know that you’ve saved yourself some of the cost.
2. Get a Programmable Thermostat
Using one of these gadgets can save you not only energy but also brainpower since it’s all automatic. Program your heat to turn down at a specific time every night and turn back up in the morning so that you won’t feel any cooler after you’ve cozied up in your bed.
3. Get Cozy
If you feel chilliest in the bedroom, try using a hot water bottle or microwavable heat pack in bed in case the room cools down before you’re ready for it.
4. Check for Obstacles
If you find that one room in your house is chillier than others, look at the vents, registers, or radiator. This tends to be a bigger problem in homes with forced-air systems. Is there a piece of furniture blocking the way? If there are filters in these systems, open them up and see what the filters look like. Are they clogged? That could be part of the problem as well.
When you contact Entek, you’ll benefit from our whole-house philosophy. We understand that everyone’s home is a little bit different, and we want you to receive the best service we can offer. We’ll make sure you feel safe and comfortable while reaping the benefits of a healthy environment with tools and systems that are durable and efficient.
