HOME COMFORT HINTS:
TEN TIPS FROM THE COMFORT EXPERTS

1.Get -- and use -- a programmable ("setback") thermostat. Feeling too hot or too cold is the number one home comfort complaint, according to a recent Honeywell survey of 1,000 U.S. households. A quality programmable thermostat can help keep you consistently comfortable by maintaining your home's temperature to within 1 degree of the thermostat's setting. What's more, it may help you automatically shave off up to 30 percent on your annual heating and cooling bills. A programmable thermostat can be set to automatically switch to an energy-saving temperature overnight or when you're gone, and automatically return to a comfort setting just before you get up or get home. (Standard-thermostat stalwarts take note: You, too, can save energy if you are diligent about turning down your thermostat when you're away or asleep. Just brace yourself for chilly indoor temps on winter mornings and when you get home from work.)
2.Call in a pro to give your heating system a tune-up. This is a must  Have a heating system professional inspect, clean and service your system each year to help ensure that it runs efficiently and safely. Be sure your system's checkup includes carbon monoxide testing.
3.Replace or clean your furnace filter monthly. After all, dirty, dusty filters can clog up your heating system and make it work harder. And that can translate to an extra strain on your pocketbook, too.
4.Consider switching to a whole-house air cleaner. What's a more effective way to filter out particles from the air you breathe at home? A high-performance whole-house air cleaner, which operates as an accessory to your forced-air heating and cooling system, nabs more than 94 percent of the airborne particles (0.5 microns or larger) passing through it. Rapids Sheet Metal Works and Point Heating & Cooling  offer a range of good-better-best whole-house filtration options.
5.Humidify your home's parched air. Nearly 70 percent of consumers are bothered by winter's too-dry air, according to Honeywell's recent survey. Properly humidified air helps alleviate itchy skin, scratchy throats and cracked nasal membranes, among other discomforts. Plus, humidified air feels warmer, so you can set your thermostat a couple of degrees lower. A whole-house humidifier adds moisture - and comfort - to the air with minimal maintenance. Portable units are also an option.
6.Review mechanical ventilation options. Cracking a window to let in outdoor air just isn't practical during the cool months. But today's mechanical fresh-air ventilation systems let you enjoy the benefits of outdoor air inside while recovering most of the energy from the stale, stuffy air that the system exhausts.
7.Get rid of pollution at the source. Encourage smokers to quit - or at least to smoke outdoors. Put the lid on hobbies, such as model building or furniture refinishing, that involve fume-creating chemicals.
8.Seal air leaks. A very leaky home can cost up to 40 percent more to heat and cool than a tightly built one. Add caulk and weatherstripping to seal in comfort and energy and seal out the cold.
9.Use conventional fireplaces sparingly. Keep your fireplace damper shut when you're not using it, or your heating dollars will fly up the chimney. If you have a conventional, wood-burning fireplace, use it only on special occasions and only then if the temperature is above 30 degrees. How about a solution from the comfort experts   on this one.

10.Zone your home. Banish too-hot or too-cold spots in your home with a zoned temperature control system. A zoning system maximizes comfort throughout the house and can help save heating and cooling costs by delivering heating and cooling when it's needed, where it's needed.