Many of us here in the Dayton area rely on home comfort systems to control temperature and humidity at home year-round, with an emphasis on winter heating. In order to shrink those utility bills while still keeping your home comfortable, check out the following tips for energy savings:
1. Proper Maintenance Saves Money. Schedule a maintenance service call before the heating or cooling seasons begin. If there are any problems with your system they can be addressed before it gets hot or cold. Also, tests prove that keeping your system tuned up can save you over 20 percent on your heating and cooling cost. Better yet, invest in a preventative maintenance agreement and leave the scheduling up to us.
2. Change Filters For Efficiency. Check your systems filter every month and replace as soon as dirt or dust is visible. Operating the system with dirty filters wastes energy and could damage the equipment. Consider using one of the newer high efficiency media filters. These filters last from 6 to 12 months, remove more airborne contaminants, and help your system operate more efficiently.
3. Thermostat Settings. Set your thermostat as high as possible in the summer and as low as possible in the winter. Try 78 degrees in summer and 70 in winter. Every degree change can affect your electric or gas consumption by as much as 5 percent. If you have a mercury thermostat, consider replacing it with a newer electronic version. The new electronic thermostats maintain a more constant temperature and cut down on system short cycling. Also, a programmable thermostat can save money if your daily schedule keeps you away from home most of the day.
4. Unobstructed Vents and Registers. Always keep your registers or vents open and unobstructed. Closing more than 20 percent of the registers can cause increased air resistance in your ductwork. This can lead to higher humidity levels and can cause your air conditioner to freeze up in the summer. In the winter, closed vents raise the air temperature and can cause excessive heat build up in your furnace or heat pump.
5. Keep It Clear and Clean. Keep the areas around your air conditioner and furnace clear and clean. Keep grass and shrubs from growing into your outside unit. Never store flammable materials near your furnace.
6. Efficient Use Of Fans. Fans can be used to circulate air and make you feel cooler at a higher temperature setting. Ceiling fans should be reversed and set at their lowest setting during the winter in order to gently push warm air down from the ceiling. Do not run kitchen or bathroom exhaust fans longer than necessary. Never set the fan switch to ON during the cooling season because this will increase the humidity inside.
7. Power Outage Protocol. If you have a power outage or brown out, turn off your heat or air conditioning system immediately. Wait until power as been fully restored before turning the system back on.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy saving tips and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Ace Hardware Home Services services the Ohio’s Miami Valley. To get started, check out our website or request an appointment.
