If you have a radiator in your home, be sure to "bleed out" trapped air in the system at least one to two times each year. Air trapped in the radiator blocks the flow of water and makes the system run inefficiently.

It's easy to bleed a radiator. First turn your heat down. When you bleed a radiator, water from inside may get on your hands -- and the hotter it is, the worse for you. So make sure it's been cool for an hour or so before continuing.

Most radiators have a small valve at the top, which can be controlled by hand, with a screwdriver, or with a radiator key sold at local hardware stores.

To bleed the radiator, open the radiator stem and hold a pan under the valve. It may make a hissing noise as the air is expelled. When water starts to dribble out, close the valve, but be careful not to overtighten it.

If you are not comfortable doing this yourself, have a heating technician do it the first time and then teach you how to do it so you can do it by yourself in the future.

Information from the Iowa Energy Center