Your HVAC system can make up a huge part of your energy use. Whether you’re trying to cut back on your energy usage to save money or to just make your home or office a little greener, saving on your HVAC usage is a good place to get started. Save energy and money with these easy tips.
- Get an energy audit. According to the professionals of comfortzonesc.com, if you have a large home, this can be well worth the time and money to have an energy audit done to see exactly where your energy is being wasted. The audit suggested on this website can also show you how to improve the overall efficiency of your whole HVAC system.
- Don’t skip routine maintenance. If your system is working hard due to dirty filters, dust buildup, or clogged drains, it’s going to use more energy and cost you more money. Routine maintenance makes sure your system is running at optimum efficiency levels. If your system does need repairs, make sure you use quality parts, like a Honeywell gas valve.
- Program your thermostat. Program the schedule of your HVAC system to match the schedule of the family so your use is timely and effective.
- Seal against drafts. Your home needs to be properly insulated against drafts in order to lower the costs of running your HVAC system. Work out where hot air is escaping and cold air is getting in, and seal these gaps. Seal up any cracks, use window insulation, and lay draught excluders or hang heavy curtains or blinds to keep draughts out.
- Block out the heat. In the summer, when your house gets hot, find ways to block the heat out before you decide to turn up the air conditioning. You can use blinds and shades on the windows to shade against direct sunlight, which helps your home to keep cooler. By keeping out that excess heat, your air conditioning doesn’t have to work as hard to keep the house cool.
- Turn off your ceiling fans. Ceiling fans don’t do a lot to cool the air inside your home. What they really do is circulate the air so you feel cooler. Use the fans when people are at home to keep things comfortable, but turn them off when there’s nobody in, as they won’t keep your rooms cool.
- Run your appliances at night. If you have appliances like a dishwasher or a dishwasher, try to run them at night when possible. At night, the outside temperature is lower, so your air-conditioning isn’t working as hard to keep things cool and battling the heat put out by appliances.
- Change your air filters. Your air filters need to be checked every month and replaced every 30 to 90 days to stop dirt from building up. Old filters make the system work harder and drive up your energy use.
- Upgrade your systems. If your current HVAC system isn’t energy-efficient or is over ten years old it may be worth replacing it. This will be a large cost initially, but over time, it will pay for itself by reducing your energy costs.
