Whether it is summer or winter, our HVAC system plays an important role in keeping our home comfortable. Existing without heating in the cold winter months and air conditioning in the hot summer months would be unbearable in many parts of the country.
Unfortunately, keeping our homes the right temperature can be an expensive endeavor at times. However, there are some ways you can keep these costs manageable and stop them from getting too high. This article is going to go over a few of them.
Properly Maintain Your HVAC System
Maintaining your HVAC system properly is a wonderful way to keep your heating/cooling bills in check. If your system is old, damaged, or experiencing an issue, it can often cause it to work harder than it needs to, or not run as efficiently as it could.
This not only leads to greater wear and tear on the system, but also much higher energy bills. If you find that your bills are starting to climb, it could be time to bring in a professional to take a look at and inspect your system, to make sure all is well.
They will check out all components and test them to ensure there is nothing contributing to inefficiencies, and that nothing is out of the ordinary. Be sure to reach out to a high-quality General Air Conditioning & Heating company to do this every year, to catch small issues before they turn into major problems.
Seal Your Home
Next, you need to make an effort to air seal your home. The process of air sealing your home involves finding gaps on exterior walls that could be letting outdoor air inside. If your walls, doors, or windows have a lot of gaps or leaks, your heating or cooling efforts won’t be nearly as efficient as they could be.
For example, during the winter, these gaps will let in a ton of cold air. As a result, your furnace will need to work harder to keep your home at your chosen temperature, which will lead to more expensive bills and decrease the lifespan of your system.
Every once in a while, check your home for gaps (especially around doors and windows) and fix/fill them as soon as possible.
Change the Temperature
When all else fails, if you want to pay less in heating or cooling, simply change the temperature that you keep your home at. If you begin adjusting your temperature even by a few degrees, it can greatly reduce your costs.
While the temperature change will be noticeable immediately and for a little while thereafter, you will eventually get used to it and hardly be able to tell the difference. There are also plenty of other ways to stay warm in the winter, without having to heat your home as much.
Instead of cranking the heat in the winter, consider using blankets, getting better insulation, or bundling up a little more. You will stay just as warm (if not warmer) and can save a lot of money in the process.
We hope the information in this article is able to help you keep your heating and cooling bills lower.
