Making the most out of your HVAC system and operating it efficiently involves being conscientious about how you use it. You don’t necessarily have to sacrifice your comfort to save on your heating and cooling costs.
Insulate Your Home Against the Elements
Your home’s walls and top floor have a considerable number of open areas where hot and cold air dissipates somewhat quickly. Filling large or thinly framed spaces with insulation makes your home significantly more resistant to the temperatures outdoors and better able to retain heated or cooled air. For help with spray foam insulation West Virginia, reach out to a company that can give you a customized quote for professionally insulating your home. Not only will your home be more comfortable during cold winter and hot summer months, but you can also appreciate substantial savings on your home energy bills.
Use a Programmable Thermostat
Setting your thermostat to a timer can help you set your home’s HVAC to a comfortable temperature before you get out of bed or before you return home from work. This convenient feature will help you avoid running your system any longer than necessary to get your home to a certain temperature setting when you want it. You could also choose a thermostat that you can control remotely if you realize that you’ve forgot to turn it off before you left the house or if you want to change your settings when your plans or schedule changes. A smart thermostat will also help you monitor usage so that you can closely analyze how much energy you’re using to run your system and evaluate how you can optimize your usage.
Replace Filters Regularly
The air that flows through your HVAC’s air handler must pass through a relatively dense filter. Failing to change your filter as often as necessary could cause it to accumulate a thick build up of dust, fibers, and pet dander. A clogged filter will impede your system’s air flow and could make it take longer for the air that it circulates to adequately cool or heat your home. Furthermore, a dirty filter may result in an excessive quantity of dust particles and other allergens to enter every room and even create a noticeable odor or cause you and your family to experience respiratory irritation. You should change your filter as often as indicated in your user manual, which could be as often as every one to three months.
