We’re into the second week in September, and things are already starting to cool down here in the North Fork and East End of Long Island. Before you know it, you’ll be relying on your oil-fired heating equipment day and night to keep you warm and safe at home.

As summer breathes its last breaths of 2019, there’s still time to get a jump on some tasks that could really help you out this heating season. Here are six things you can do in the coming weeks to take some of the load off your furnace or boiler – and your wallet:

1. Test your thermostat – or install a new one. Be sure to give your thermostat a test run before you really need it. If you don’t know how to program it, invest some time learning – it will be worth it, considering that proper use of a thermostat can save 10 percent or more on your heating bill. If you don’t have a programmable smart thermostat, install one now – it will pay for itself in the first year of use.
2. Give your insulation a boost. Insulation is one of the best bang-for-the-buck ways to lower your heating (and cooling) bills, but most Long Island homes (especially older ones) are under-insulated. Try adding insulation in areas where air leaks are most likely to occur, such as the attic and crawl space; for further tips on where and how much to insulate, check out this energy.gov post.
3. Weatherize. You wouldn’t leave a window wide open in the winter, would you? That’s about how much air escapes the average home through air leaks around doors, windows, and other problem areas of the home. In winter, air leaks let the cold air in and release your paid-for warm air to the neighborhood. The remaining few warm weekends are a good time to get out and check the edges and bottom of your doors and windows to make sure they’re draft-free, and toinstall caulk or weatherstripping around the areas where you can feel drafts. For more tips on air sealing, check out this post.
4. Patch problem roof areas. Skip needed roof repairs and you could end up with drafts, or even a mold problem – something you definitely want to avoid.
5. Schedule a heating tune-up. Heating maintenance is a must for your furnace, boiler and burner – and peak appointment season is coming right up here in LI. Put off scheduling your routine heating maintenance just another week or two and you could be waiting a month or more for a qualified heating expert in LI, since the best technicians get extremely busy once Labor Day passes.
6. If you’re planning to replace your heating system, do it now. Remember those busy heating experts who won’t have time to maintain your equipment after Labor Day? They won’t have time to install your new furnace or boiler, either. If you’re planning a heating system upgrade, get a FREE, no obligation estimate now so you’ll have some wiggle room to schedule a heating system installation before busy season starts in earnest.

For expert, affordable preventive heating Service Plans for your heating oil-fired equipment – plus quality propane and heating oil system installations and the most reliable Biofuel® deliveries in and around Eastern LI – nobody tops Burt’s Reliable. Contact us today to learn more.