HOME HEATING AND COOLING TIPS

Great Tips To Use Your Energy More Efficiently

REGULARLY CLEAN OR REPLACE YOUR AIR FILTER

Always remember, that efficient heating and cooling systems in the home mean saved money, and often saved headaches. It’s usually a good idea to always check your air filter every month, especially in times of heavy usage. For example, during the coldest winter months and the hottest summer months. Many times, during these periods, the heating and cooling systems get overworked and are more prone to dirt and clogs.

If the filter looks dirty (even if it is only one month old) you should change it. At the very least, you want to replace your air filter every three months. A dirty air filter actually makes the air flow slower through the system. This means that everything involved has to work harder to provide the same results. This can end up costing you more money, and in the long run this could mean a LOT. Not only do you save money, however, you also prevent dust and debris from collecting, which can lead to a failure of the system, or at best very expensive maintenance.

SCHEDULE A YEARLY TUNE-UP OF YOUR HVAC SYSTEM/EQUIPMENT

Think of it like this: you get regular tune-ups on your cars and trucks which helps with your gas mileage. This in turn helps you save money. The same idea applies when thinking of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Having a little check-up/tune-up every year can help improve the results you notice from using the system.

A typical maintenance check-up/tune-up for your HVAC system should include the following

• Inspect the thermostat settings • Inspect and (if necessary) tighten any electric connections • Lube any parts that move during use • Inspect your condensation drain Check-up of system controls

There can be other things involved as well so it’s best to hire a professional HVAC Winnipeg contractor to help you out with this. What you CAN do on your own is to check out, and if necessary replace, your air filters.

THINK AB OUT INSTALLING AN ELECTRONIC THERMOSTAT

If you’re like most people, there’s probably a portion of the day where you’re out of the house. Usually this is the case everyday. Without a programmable thermostat it’s easy to set it on and forget about it for the whole day. This is a huge waste of energy and money since no one is at home to notice the heating or cooling effect.

If you have a programmable thermostat you can actually set it to turn off during the time of day you and your family are out of the house. This can actually save you a lot of money – upwards of $180 every single year. Now who wouldn’t like that?

Y O U S E E T H O S E H E AT I N G A N D C O O L I N G D U C T S I N Y O U R H O M E ? S E A L T H E M .

Most home heating and cooling systems are notorious energy wasters because of the various ducts that move the air around. Correctly sealing and even insulating these ducts can help out your pocket book quite a bit. Sometimes you can raise the efficiency of your whole system by 20% and even a lot more. So definitely look into doing this to some degree.

Any ducts you have that run through any crawl spaces or attics should be the first thing to focus on. Since these places are usually not trafficked heavily, it is a waste of energy to spend resources heating or cooling them. Next try sealing and insulating the ducts that run through any unheated basements and garages. You want to use mastic duct sealant and/or foil backed tape to seal up the seams and connection junctions of your ducts. Once these are sealed, you can wrap them in insulation to further increase your system’s efficiency. After this you may want to look at sealing and insulating other ducts that run through your house.

CONSIDER BECOMING AN ENERGY STAR

Energy Star heating and cooling equipment is specially designed to be more efficient at using energy. These systems can help you save lots of money and help the environment as well. If your HVAC or heating and cooling system is more than 10 years old, or you are not happy with it’s performance, consider replacing it. If you do want to replace it, look for the Energy Star logo. This means it has achieved a certain standard of efficiency when it comes to using energy.

Depending on where you live, a new Energy Star system can cut your yearly energy bill by $200 or more! These are serious savings that can add up if you follow all the tips in this mini-series. However, before going out there and spending money on a new system, follow all the previous tips to see if that raises your comfort level in the home and, in turn, saves you money. Usually things like air leaks in the duct system are responsible for a majority of problems related to energy efficiency; not your HVAC system itself.

HOME HEATING AND COOLING SPECIALISTS

Fair Service Heating And Air Conditioningwww.FairServiceHeating.ca

Furnace Winnipeg