BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — National fuel said to expect higher heating bills this winter. For households in Western New York, that could mean spending more on natural gas heating than you have in a decade.
Robert Kladkey, President of Black Hat Chimney and Fireplace said there are still ways you can save.
"For actual heating purposed you could look at a wood stove, a wood fireplace or a wood insert," said Kladkey. "Which would allow you to heat a home pretty much an entire home if it's positioned correctly with wood."
Kladkey said if you make the switch over to wood appliances, you could even feel warmer.
"A wood stove or a wood fireplace can produce 60,000 Btu," said Kladkey. "An electric fireplace runs on 15 watts which translates to 5,000 Btu which is 1/8 of a hot water tank."
Sunbeam Heating and Air Conditioning Sales Manager, Connor Jones said cold climate heat pumps are also becoming an efficient way to keep warm.
"It's kind of the way of the future," said Jones. "There's a reason why the state is pushing this. And that's because we're all going to be heading toward heat pumps."
Jones said the all-in-one heating and air conditioning system is efficient, easy to manage and environmentally friendly, operating without things like fossil fuel and carbon monoxide. Jones also told 7 News, it won't cost you much more than traditional options.
"Really you're kind of in the same price range as a traditional HVAC system and in some cases even less," said Jones.
Kladkey said if gas inserts or gas stoves are your only options right now, placement could help. He said if you put one in your busiest room you could save money that way.
"Keep the rest of your house five or seven degrees cools," said Kladkey. "Therefore, your furnace isn't working as hard and your bedrooms are cooler, but you have the warmth that you're looking for in your living room area, your dining room area, your kitchen area, wherever you spend most of your time.">
Jones said you should always have you fireplaces and chimney's cleaned and inspected before using them.
"Any chimney that hasn't been cleaned in the last two years, it should be cleaned," said Kladkey. "And it should be inspected to make sure that it's still fire worthy."
