It's never a good time for your heater to need repairs, but the chance of a break down is almost impossible to avoid after years of wear and tear. What you can do is minimize your risk of needing repairs by implementing warming techniques throughout your home that support the performance of your heater so it doesn't have to work so hard. Here are six ways to do just that:

Make Use of Ceiling Fans

Believe it or not, using your ceiling fans during cold days can help keep your home warm without having to turn the heater up. Program your ceiling fans to flow clockwise so they pull warm air up from the middle of the room and push it back down again toward the walls. This enables the fans to maintain a warmer temperature in the rooms they're running in, and may even give your heater some reprieve altogether during daylight hours.

Create Some Extra Protection

Protecting the interior of your home from the exterior elements is one of the most important things you can do to maintain a consistent and comfortable environment inside your home day and night. Use one or more of these ideas to create some extra protection for your home:

• Use spray foam insulation or caulking around the frames of your doors and windows.
• Use insulation snakes along the bottoms of doors leading to the exterior when they're not in use, including in the basement.
• Install insulation film on the interiors of your windows for extra sunlight, moisture, and air control.

You can also install thermal curtains in front of your windows to help absorb the cold air that might seep through the panes.

Make Your Flooring Fuzzy

A great way to naturally warm up your home is to add layers to your flooring in the form of area rugs in your living spaces, and fluffy runners in your hallways. These types of throw carpets trap cold air underneath them so it can't cool the air in the room overall. Carpets and fuzzy rugs help to keep your feet warmer too, so you aren't likely to be as affected by the occasional chill.

Dress Up Your Furniture

Adding some extra comfort to your furniture is another effective way to keep the overall atmosphere of your home warmer so you're more apt to turn the heater down. Trade your cotton or satin sheets in for a flannel variety and implement a down comforter, and you'll have minimal need for your heater at night. You can also install thermal covers on your couches and recliners to stay warmer when you aren't moving around much during the day. It's a good idea to make sure that your seating isn't situated near any windows to avoid exposure to chills during extreme weather conditions. 

Implement Some Tin Foil

If your home uses radiators to stay warm, chances are that some of the heat emitting from them are escaping right through your walls to the exterior, where it doesn't do you any good. You can avoid this problem by putting radiator foil from the hardware store, or heavy duty tin foil from the grocery store, against the wall behind your radiators so the heat is reflected away from the walls and into the interior of your home. This should allow you to turn your radiators down a little so you can save some wear and tear on your heater.

Have the Furnace Checked Out

If you don't have your heating system checked out on a regular basis, you'll find it tough to tell if any internal problems are brewing that are in need of some attention. A yearly inspection by a professional from a site like http://www.abaileyplumbing.com will ensure that everything is performing as it should be, so your system doesn't have to work any harder than necessary when it's turned on. An inspection will also give the service provider an opportunity to do some maintenance, like tighten coils and check fluid levels, so you don't have to worry about doing it yourself.

These tricks and techniques will help keep your heater in good shape without costing you an arm and a leg, and they'll keep you nice and cozy while spending time at home without the need for several layers of clothing.