When the nights begin to get cold, turning on your home’s furnace and keeping it running throughout the day and night is expected and fully safe to do. However, many people use other types of heating systems in their homes, including space heaters and electric heaters, which can pose a fire risk in some situations. So, if it is cold outside, should you leave your heater on all night?
Your Home’s Furnace or Permanent Heating System
If you are using your home’s furnace, no matter the type, keeping it running throughout the day and night is fully safe to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. We do not recommend turning off your boiler, furnace, or heat pump at night because doing so can mean that you are cold, and that may not be safe for you. These systems are designed to be maintained on a consistent basis and are built into your home’s structure, minimizing any risk that you may have.
You should leave your heater on to minimize the drastic change in temperature, too. If you turn your home’s furnace off at night, it becomes much harder for the system to heat your home during the next day to reach a comfortable level, and that means an increase in your energy bills. Instead, keep it running at night to ensure that your home is safe and operating efficiently.
One way to reduce your costs and become a bit more energy efficient is to install a programmable thermostat in your home that can adjust the temperature at night to a slightly lower level, reducing the amount of energy used to heat your home. According to Energy.gov, setting your thermostat back between 7 and 10 degrees at night for 8 hours could reduce your heating costs by as much as 10%. Let us install a programmable thermostat in your home to make this process as easy as possible to maintain.
Call (702) 944-8838 Today or Book Online for Heating and Cooling Service!
You Should Not Leave Space Heaters on Unattended
Electric heaters of any type are unsafe to leave running overnight because they carry a significant amount of risk. If a space heater falls over or becomes too hot from running for too long of a period of time, that can lead to a fast-moving fire that occurs while you are asleep and cannot act fast enough. We do not recommend using space heaters at all because of this risk, but you definitely should not use them at night.
If your home is too cold at night, you may want to consider adjusting your thermostat to better meet your needs. If you have not had the system serviced this year, that type of preventive maintenance can also help to improve the efficiency of your system and reduce your overall costs, making your home a bit more affordable to warm. If your heating system is not working and the nights are cold, reach out to us for help in getting it repaired and back in operational order.
Do not use any type of propane heater overnight or leave a fire unattended either. These may help to warm up your home, but they also create a very high risk of fire. During the day, you can monitor the system to ensure it is working properly, but at night, that is not possible to do, meaning this method carries too much risk.
Are You Using an Electric Heater During the Day?
If you plan to use an electric heater during the day, make sure you follow a few best practices for minimizing risks. Always choose a model that will turn off automatically if it tips over, and be sure it is plugged into a grounded outlet. Also, only use it at a good distance from any type of flammable equipment to minimize any risk of fire.
What Can You Do to Make Your Home Warmer?
You may be looking for ways to improve how warm your home is on those cold nights without actually turning up the thermostat. The good news is there are a few simple things you can do to achieve that, and our team at Ambient Edge can also offer some support to you throughout this process. Here are a few places to start focusing on.
- Reverse the function of your ceiling fans to help pull down more warm air from the ceiling into the usable space in your home.
- Add more rugs and window treatments to protect these often cold spaces
- Keep your curtains closed even on warm days since this allows for too much heat loss
- Find and seal off any drafts around your home, including around doors and windows, under paneling, and even on the floors
- Consider the value of adding more insulation to your home to reduce your overall heating costs (this can also help to lower your air conditioning costs in the summer months)
- Let us help you with a programmable thermostat that can reduce your overall energy consumption while keeping you warm and comfortable
We also recommend having a full maintenance inspection from our licensed team to ensure your home’s heating system is working at its best and at the most efficient level possible. Without a doubt, keeping your home warm is critical throughout the year, and that does not always mean having to turn up the temperature on the thermostat. Let our team offer guidance and support to help you minimize any concerns.
Contact Us for HVAC Service in Las Vegas, NV
Contact Us Schedule a Heating System Inspection Call Today
At Ambient Edge, we can help you to ensure your home’s heating system is working the best, minimizing any risk of fires and ensuring you do not have to use space heaters. When you call us for emergency services or heating repair, we can troubleshoot any area for you and offer some tips on how to improve your home’s indoor air quality at a scheduled appointment. To get started, turn to Ambient Edge, the official air conditioning company of the Las Vegas Aviators, and let us get you comfortable and warm again.
