Whether you’re keeping your home warm during the winter or trying to cool off in the summer, there are always things that you can do to reduce the total energy your home produces and keep your utility bills down to an affordable level.
Change Your Air Filter Regularly
The easiest bit of maintenance that you can do for your HVAC system is to replace your filter regularly. Most filters should be changed about once a month, although some more modern filters can last longer before they need to be swapped out. At the very least, you should be checking your filter at least once a month to make sure that it isn’t too dirty, especially if you have a large family or pets in your home.
Schedule Regular Tune-Ups
Even if your furnace and air conditioner seem to be working properly, you should still contact HVAC service professionals and have them perform a routine inspection and tune-up at least once a year. In fact, twice a year might be better, especially if you have an older HVAC system. If you want to have two inspections a year, the best times to do this are in the spring, before you’ll need to rely on your air conditioner to keep cool, and in the early fall before it starts to get colder outside. Even though you might not like the idea of spending money on an inspection, it’s still preferable to having to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a repair that could’ve been avoided with routine maintenance.
Invest in a Programmable Thermostat
If you like to adjust the temperature in your home throughout the day, you can definitely benefit from a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat will adjust the temperature in your home automatically based on how you want to program it. If you want to turn down the temperature in your home at night when everyone is asleep, you can have your thermostat do so. If you want your home to be warmer when everyone is awake and you have a full house, you can set your thermostat to adjust itself accordingly. Not only does it save you the time it would take to adjust the temperature yourself, but it will help lower your utility bills and keep your HVAC system running efficiently if you don’t remember to set your thermostat.
Find an Optimal Temperature and Stick With It
Whether or not you have a programmable thermostat in your home, you should still try to find an optimal temperature when everyone is home, and do your best to stick with it. A lot of HVAC systems actually have an optimal temperature that ensures it’s running efficiently. You can find this in your system’s owner’s manual. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, most HVAC systems are at their most efficient when they are at 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. If you have a single comfortable temperature that you like when everyone is home, you can always set it to that and leave it, especially if you have a programmable thermostat.
Seal Drafts in Your Home
Whether you’re aware of it or not, there are almost certainly some drafts in your home. Maybe the air is just a little colder when you walk by a window in the winter, or maybe you notice that your heating bill is just a little higher than usual even though you’ve barely adjusted your thermostat. Both of these could be caused by small cracks and gaps throughout your house.
If you notice that this is the case anywhere, take some time to seal gaps with some weather-stripping tape or a caulk gun. If this sounds like too much work or you’re afraid that you’ll miss a gap somewhere in your home, you can always hire HVAC professionals to check out your home. They are almost bound to find something, especially if you have an older home.
Get More Insulation
An insulated attic will keep warm air from escaping your home in the winter and trap cool air in the summer. In other words, it can greatly improve the efficiency of your HVAC system. If it’s been a few years since you’ve redone your home’s insulation, consider having a contractor take a look at it. Most types of insulation can be installed quickly, but it will give you a more comfortable home.
Adjust Your Curtains or Blinds
Opening or closing your blinds or curtains can have a bigger effect on your home’s temperature than you might think. If you feel cold on a sunny winter day, opening up your curtains or your blinds to let some sunshine into your home can help warm you up. Naturally, closing your curtains on a hot summer day can help you keep cool.
Turn Down the Heat When You Leave
If you’re the type of person who likes to go on vacation during the winter, don’t forget to turn down the heat in your home before you leave. You shouldn’t turn off your furnace completely since that could lead to frozen pipes and other problems, but lowering your thermostat to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit will ensure that your home will be comfortable when you come back.
Contact an HVAC Repair Service Before Things Get Out of Hand
Finally, you should never wait to contact an HVAC repair professional if you think there’s something wrong with your furnace or air conditioner. Nobody likes to think about what could go wrong with their HVAC system, nor do they want to think about paying to have it repaired. However, fixing a problem while it is still relatively minor will prevent a more costly repair later on. It will also keep your furnace and air conditioner running smoothly for at least a few more years.
Reach out to us at Eagle Heating and Air Conditioning, and we can discuss how you can save money and keep your system running smoothly.