As November settles in across Boulder, Colorado, homeowners know the signs of colder months are here—frost on the windows, early sunsets, and frigid nights that make you reach for your heater. With winter heating demands on the rise, an inefficient furnace can lead to higher energy bills and uneven warmth around your home.
Luckily, a few practical steps can incrase your furnace efficiency, keeping your home cozy while saving you money. For homes across the Boulder region, here are five ways to get the most out of your furnace this season.
1. Change or Clean Your Furnace Filter Regularly
A clogged air filter is one of the easiest ways to slow down your furnace and hike up energy costs. Dust and debris can block airflow, forcing your furnace to work harder and increasing wear on the system.
Regular filter maintenance not only improves energy efficiency but also keeps indoor air cleaner. Filters come in different types, from fiberglass to pleated, and each has a MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating that indicates how well it captures particles. Picking the right filter and checking it regularly goes a long way toward keeping your furnace performing well.
Maximize Furnace Efficiency: When to Clean or Replace Filters
How often you should check your furnace filter really depends on the kind of filter you have and factors specific to your home, household, and region. The best rule of thumb? Check your filter every 60–90 days. But if you live in Boulder or Denver, a few local factors can mean you need to peek at it more often:
- Dry, dusty winter air: Common in Boulder and Denver, which can cause filters to clog faster.
- Wood stoves or fireplaces: Burning wood can create extra indoor dust, making more frequent checks helpful.
- Pets: Pet dander can accumulate quickly, requiring closer monitoring of filters.
- Vulnerable household members: Young children, elderly people, or anyone with allergies or respiratory concerns may need to check filters more often.
Paying attention to these conditions and checking your filter often can keep your furnace humming, your air fresher, and your home feeling warmer all season.
2. Keep Interior Doors Open to Promote Even Heating
Closed doors can trap warm air in one room while leaving others chilly. This can create “hot-and-cold spots” in your home, which also forces your furnace to run longer to balance temperatures.
Open your interior doors whenever possible. This opens up airflow through your home, allowing warm air to circulate. This makes it easier to maintain a consistent temperature without increasing your energy usage. This simple adjustment can make a noticeable difference in comfort across all rooms.
3. Upgrade to a Programmable or Smart Thermostat
Programmable thermostats let you schedule heating based on your family’s routines, ensuring your furnace isn’t working overtime when no one is home. Smart thermostats take it a step further by allowing you to control the thermostat from a phone or tablet. They also provide insights into your energy use, which helps you fine-tune your settings for comfort and savings.
This can be especially helpful for managing heating in multiple zones or multi-story homes. Smart thermostat technology helps reduce waste while keeping your home warm exactly when you need it.
4. Improve Insulation and Seal Air Leaks
Warm air can escape through windows, doors, ducts, and even the attic. This is especially common in older homes or houses exposed to strong winds. When that heat escapes, your furnace has to work harder to keep the house warm, which wastes energy and drives up your bills. Sealing gaps, adding insulation, and keeping ductwork in good condition helps trap warm air inside where it belongs.
Other fixes you can make include adding weatherstripping to doors and windows, sealing gaps around vents, and putting more insulation in your attic or basement. These steps keep warm air inside and help your furnace work more efficiently.
5. Schedule a Professional Furnace Tune-Up
A professional tune-up keeps your system running smoothly and helps prevent costly repairs before they happen. By cleaning, inspecting, and adjusting key components, a technician makes it more likely your furnace will reach its full lifespan.
How a Furnace Tune-Up Improves Safety and Furnace Efficiency
During a tune-up, a qualified technician can:
- Spot small problems before they turn into expensive repairs
- Clean and inspect components so your furnace runs at its best
- Check for safety hazards, like carbon monoxide leaks
- Perform maintenance that helps your system last as long as it’s designed to
- Complete any steps required to keep your manufacturer’s warranty valid
In the Boulder area, late autumn is the ideal time to schedule a tune-up. You’ll avoid the winter rush and know your home is ready for colder months.
Keep Your Colorado Home Warm with Precision
If it’s been a while since your last furnace tune-up, let Precision, Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric help your system work at its best. Our skilled technicians proudly serve homeowners across the Denver and Boulder areas, keeping homes warm, safe, and efficient. We’ll inspect your furnace, identify potential issues, and make sure your home stays cozy all winter—without unnecessary energy costs.
Call or schedule online today to book your furnace tune-up with Precision, your local Colorado heating experts.