Every year, we make New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight, get more sleep, and eat healthier. However, we never seem to make those resolutions about the structural components of our house.
New Year’s Resolutions to make you healthier are wonderful, but resolutions to care for your home better will not only save you money and energy expenses, but can also be done easily and with minimal effort. A New Year's Resolution you can actually keep and saves you money? Sounds like a no-brainer.That's why Warner Service has put together this list of simple HVAC New Years Resolutions to keep you, your home, and your wallet happy in 2015:
Move the couch.
Check around your house and look if your registers are blocked by furniture. All you are doing is heating the back of your couch. So, move the couch that is blocking the register!
Program it, Baby.
Get a programmable thermostat so you are not cooling or heating your house like it is full of people when you are at work. According to Energy Star, a programmable thermostat can save you $180 per year in energy costs.
Change the Filter.
Don’t forget to change the filter at a minimum every 3 months. Dirt will slow air flow and increase energy costs. An electrostatic air filter for example is supposed to capture 97% of the airborne particles. All you need to do is simply wash off the filter and let it dry.
No kinks, please
Check to make sure there are no kinks in your duct vents. Think of when you are vacuuming and the line gets kinked. You lose suction. Well, your ducts are no different. See this article for how your flexible ducts should be installed.
Seal around the vents
When we were building, in order to obtain an energy star certificate for the house, we were required to seal around all of the vents. Without these vents being sealed, air is lost under the floor or in the attic since many people have vents in their ceilings of their second floors.
Have your system checked
Treat your air conditioning and heating system like you treat your car. Regular maintenance is important. Have the HVAC system checked at least yearly. In addition, make sure the supply and return ducts are balanced. If there is a leak in one, this will cause building pressure to be skewed. Moreover, check whether or not the duct are adequately sized for your system.
“The efficiency of air distribution systems has been found to be 60-75% or less in many houses because of insufficient and/or poorly installed duct insulation and leaks in duct systems. Properly designed and installed duct systems can have efficiencies of 80% or more for little or no additional cost, potentially saving a homeowner $50-200 or more per year in heating and cooling costs. Moreover, efficient duct system installations can reduce equipment size, further saving money for new or replacement equipment,” according to the Department of Energy.
A simple yearly maintenance will be worth the cost. Technicians come in the fall and spring to check the system and make sure it is good to go.
Replace any inefficient or broken systems
Is it time to replace your system? Energy star has a list of tell tale signs that it is time for you to say good bye to your heating system. If your system is in need of replacement consider replacing it with an energy star approved system. States rebates may be available. Check here for energy star rebates or credits.
If you have any questions, please contact Warner Service; we'll be happy to help you in any way we can!
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