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Saving Money 101
As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home's heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills...and your comfort.
Take these following steps to increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling system.
Also, take advantage of our Fuel Calculator so you may compare heating costs of all different heating sources.
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Heating Professional Preventive maintenance
Cooling Clean or replace the filter at least once a month Keep debris clear of the outdoor unit Service the system on a regular basis Leave your thermostat at one setting Operate appliances during cooler parts of the day
General
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Heating When you come home from work, don’t give into the temptation to move the thermostat to a very high setting to heat the house faster. That doesn’t work. Heating systems are designed to pump out a set volume of warm air per minute. All that happens when you spin the thermostat up an extra 10 degrees is that the system runs longer, overshoots your temperature mark, and wastes energy.
Instead, select the lowest possible temperature that will keep you and your family comfortable and set the thermostat there. Remember, energy use goes down 3% to 4% for every degree you lower the temperature below your normal set point.
Before going to bed at night, set the thermostat down a few degrees. When you get up, put it back to the regular setting— or leave it alone until everyone returns from work and school in the evening.
A better way to manage the temperature is to install a programmable thermostat. Set it to turn the temperature down a few degrees at night and when no one is home. Then forget about it.
At the risk of telling you something you’re tired of hearing, replace the air filter in your furnace. Dirty air filters reduce the amount of air flowing through a system and make the furnace work harder to maintain the temperature. So change the filter every month. Enough said about filters.
If you have a heat pump, clean the outside condensing coil. Dirt, leaves, grass and other debris can block airflows and reduce efficiency. So clean up around the unit, removing all obstructions within a distance of a foot or so.
As a safety measure, homeowners with fossil fuel burning systems should consider installing carbon monoxide (CO) monitors to insure the safe quality of the indoor air.
Home heating and cooling systems typically last for 15 years. When a unit begins to show its age, you have two choices. You can overhaul the system or replace it. Because heating and cooling technologies improve over time, a new system designed with newer, more energy-efficient equipment makes sense, especially if your system is 10 or more years old. If your system has reached a critical age, ask an ACCA contractor for advice. He or she can estimate the cost of a new system as well as a payback schedule that will show you how newer technology will pay you back in lower energy usage.
The One-Step Method: Professional Preventive Maintenance
If you aren’t comfortable dealing with
heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment, an ACCA contractor
can look after your system better than you can. In any event, a
qualified professional should go over your system once or twice a year.
A professional can change the filter, clean
up, and inspect the system to ensure that all the components are working
properly. You can ask your ACCA contractor to handle these chores under a Preventive Maintenance Agreement (or PMA). PMA's typically cover one or two full-service maintenance visits per year, provide discounts for parts and service work, and ensure that you receive priority service should a system failure occur during the cold of the winter or the heat of the summer.
Your inspections include:
Many dealers offer preventive maintenance contracts that cover periodic inspections and, if needed, repairs. According to the Trane Home Comfort Institute, the cost of such a service is usually well worth the investment, especially in terms of peace of mind.
Cooling Clean or replace the filter at least once a month When a central air conditioner circulates the air in your home, dust and dirt particles collect on the filter located in the indoor unit or ducts. Excessive build up on the filter forces the system to run longer to maintain your set temperature. This can make utility bills rise. Most residential systems have disposable filters. These should be checked every month and replaced when necessary with the same size filter as originally supplied. Permanent filters should be cleaned according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Keep debris clear of the outdoor unit Efficient operation of your central air conditioner requires a free flow of air over the coils in the outdoor unit. Anything that blocks this flow forces the unit to work harder. Keeping it clear of leaves, dirt, newspapers and other debris helps it work at peak efficiency and holds down operating costs. Never stack anything against the side of the unit or drape anything over it. Keep trees, shrubs and other landscaping located near the unit trimmed back.
Service the system on a regular basis Preventive maintenance is the least expensive kind. Keeping your system in top shape through regular checkups is the best way to ensure that it will keep working for you. The best time to have your system checked is in early spring, before the cooling season starts. Many dealers offer a service contract that provides routine maintenance, including lubrication of motors, tightening of belts and checking of refrigerant level.
Leave your thermostat at one setting If you want the optimum balance between comfort and cost, keep the temperature settings at 78°F for cooling. If you have a programmable thermostat, keep adjustments to a minimum once you've set it. Adjust it only when a new program is needed. If you're going to be away for a few days, don't let the system run unnecessarily. Raise the thermostat to 85°F and simply reset it when you return.
Operate appliances during cooler parts of the day Household appliances such as washers, dryers, ovens and ranges can generate heat and humidity inside the house. Using these appliances during the hottest times of the day, when your air conditioning system is working hardest, just adds to the burden.
By scheduling washing, drying, baking and cooking for mornings or evenings when it is cooler, you can remove this extra burden from your system and help keep operating costs down.
Of course, as Trane Home Comfort Institute experts point out, none of these steps will significantly decrease operating costs if your home is not properly insulated. This is the single most important step in saving energy since it keeps the cooled air in your home when you need it most.
They say infiltration of hot outside air is another of your cooling system's worst enemies. So, find the places where air sneaks into your home and plug them up with caulk or weather-stripping. Closing these leaks will help greatly in maintaining your comfort, reducing energy use and extending the life of your air conditioning system.
Shade South and west facing windows
Cross-ventilate By opening windows on facing or adjacent walls at night when the outside temperature drops.
Turn on a ceiling fan So you can raise the temperature setting on the air conditioner.
Ventilate the attic With a thermostatically controlled fan.
General For both new and existing homes, it's important to first maximize the energy efficiency of your home. This is the most cost-effective means of keeping your home comfortable, no matter what climate you live in.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with Energy Star-qualified equipment and sealing your ducts can cut your energy bill by as much as 20 percent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
You can save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10° to 15° for eight hours. You can do this automatically without sacrificing comfort by installing an automatic setback or programmable thermostat.
A programmable thermostat offers a lot of flexibility in its temperature settings. Using a programmable thermostat, you can adjust the times you turn on the heating or air conditioning according to a pre-set schedule. As a result, you don't operate the equipment as much when you are asleep or when the house is not occupied.
Programmable thermostats can store and repeat multiple daily settings (six or more temperature settings a day) that you can manually override without affecting the rest of the daily or weekly program.
When shopping for a programmable thermostat, be sure to look for the ENERGY STAR label.
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AirCare Mechanical, Inc. 115 Key Street, Hagerstown, MD 21740 301-393-9313 FAX / 301-393-9490 EMAIL: info@aircaremechanical.com “We encourage you to call, if only for advice” |