Everyone wants to save money on their heating bills each month, and if you've tried everything but you still haven't seen enough savings, you may be making some common mistakes. These mistakes are easy to make, but they can ruin the efficiency of your heating. Make sure you know them so you can avoid them and save money on heating services once and for all.

Closing Vents to Unused Rooms

It may seem wasteful to heat your guestroom when no one is visiting; however, if you think closing the vent to those unused rooms is saving you money, you're wrong. The cold room isn't air-tight, so hot air will naturally get sucked into the cold vacuum through cracks under or around the door. This creates cold spaces in the areas you want to keep warm. As a result, you are forced to use more energy and money to get warm. Also, when you close vents, it puts unnecessary strain on your furnace because there are fewer outlets for the forced air.

Not Using Your Ceiling Fan

A ceiling fan can be useful on a warm day, but only if it's hitting your skin. If you aren't even in the room, a fan is useless. However, during the winter, you can use your ceiling fans to actually help heat your home better. Hot air naturally rises, and cold air drops. Unfortunately, you don't walk on your ceiling, so you want the hot air lower. If you turn your ceiling fan to reverse during the winter, it will push the hot air down to the living space, so you get warmer without using as much energy.

Failing to Maintain Ductwork

The ductwork in your home is like the arteries in your body. Dust can collect in the ductwork, and eventually, it narrows the path through which the air flows. Much like closing vents to unused rooms, this makes the system work harder because it is trying to push the same volume of air through narrowing paths. Gaps and holes in ductwork can also be a problem as they allow air to escape before reaching you. Last, if your ducts are uninsulated in crawlspaces, attics or other places that get cold during the winter, the air may cool before reaching you.

Keeping Curtains Open

The last mistake is keeping your curtains open all the time during the winter. When the sun is out and hitting your windows, it's a good idea to keep curtains open to let in the light as a natural way to heat your home. However, when the sun isn't shining, having open curtains increases the amount of heat transfer through the glass pane. If you have double pane windows, the process is less drastic. Having insulated curtains closed when there is no sun in the winter keeps the cold windows away from your warm air.

Even if you have a new furnace, there are simple mistakes you could be making that waste money. If you make any of these mistakes, stop to see if they help. For more information or if you need repairs or maintenance, contact a heating specialist in your area today.