This winter has been brutal. Day after day of subzero-like temperatures have us all cranking our heat up to combat the chill. Hopefully you had an annual furnace tune-up at the beginning of the season to make sure your furnace is running at its best. If you haven’t, it’s not too late to have a professional from Sears Heating and Cooling come out to give your furnace a check-up. This is especially helpful at the start of the season, but we still have plenty of cold weather left to deal with, even heading into Spring. Other than changing the filter once a month, there are some tips and tricks to keeping your furnace in tip top shape and your home much warmer year-round. Lower Your Thermostat Setting By lowering it setting just a few degrees, your thermostat won’t have to work as hard to keep your home warm when it’s extremely cold outside. At night it’s also good to have it set at a lower temperature, so it’s not coming on quite as much. You can easily add extra blankets to your family’s beds and additional layers of clothing to keep yourself warmer without having the heat set so high. Plus, as an added bonus for every degree lower you set the thermostat, you’ll save up to 5 percent on heating costs. Close Unused Vents You may have rooms in your house that you don’t use as much––or even at all. Close those vents off so that more warm…
