Heating your home

Furnace upgrades

• Maintaining a humidity level of 35 to 45 percent inside your home reduces static buildup, moderates shrinking and swelling of wood floors and prevents dry skin and a scratchy throat. Whole-house humidifiers that are mounted on a furnace can be either passive (when the air passes through a water-filled filter) or active (when a fan forces air through a water-saturated pad). Both styles require occasional cleaning and an annual replacement of the evaporator pad.

• Forced-air furnaces come equipped with only a one-inch thick air filter. For optimal air quality (and to protect the secondary heat exchanger on condensing furnaces), upgrade to a mechanical or electronic air cleaner.
• Unlike theirdrafty, elderly neighbours, new energy-efficient (R-2000) homes require a mechanical ventilation system that exchanges stale air for fresh air. A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) recycles heat from the exhaust air to warm the incoming fresh air, reducing the overall energy demand.
• Setback thermostats can be programmed to lower the temperature while you’re asleep or at work and raise it back up to your comfort level before you get out of bed or back home. Natural Resources Canada estimates a two-percent saving on your heating bill for every degree you lower the heat.

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