For some of us, a special time of year has arrived; red, gold, and yellow leaves falling to the ground, squirrels running around burying things, Christmas displays being set up, and the need for heat!

Fall is the perfect time to service your furnace. Help yours work more efficiently by following these tips:

* clean around and under radiators, baseboard heaters, and vents with a vacuum.
* if a more through cleaning is needed; use 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup vinegar, and 1 gallon of hot water; wear rubber gloves and ventilate the area, don’t forget to rinse.
* install a programmable digital thermostat; it allows you to set multiple temperature settings; a lower room temperature during the day when nobody is home and at night when everyone is sleeping (times when a “comfort zone” is not necessary.)
* Check your furnace filter monthly; they are inexpensive, disposable and easily replaced.
* Remove and replace damaged caulk and weather-stripping around windows & doors; this heat loss alone accounts for 35% of your heating cost!
* Decorate your windows with efficiency — closed shutters, window shades, blinds, curtains and lined draperies. All contribute to energy savings by helping to insulate windows (Lowes.com)
* Perhaps the most often quoted hint for saving energy in the home is to set thermostats at 68° F in the winter; put on that sweater your Mom gave you last year!

Anything we can do to reduce our energy consumption increases the size of our wallets!

Please tell what you do to increase the efficiency of your heating system…