Energy Saving Tips for Major Appliances: HVAC

HVAC is the largest energy consumer in every household. On the average, a typical home spends 40 to 50 percent of the total utility bills for heating and cooling. But you can greatly reduce your HVAC energy usage by doing simple things and doing regular maintenance of your heating and air conditioning system.

Energy Saving Tips for HVAC

• Invest in HVAC that is proportionate in size to your home. If you are considering buying a new system or replacing your old one, buy a unit that is not too big or too small for your home. Additionally, check the equipment’s specification for proper sizing and maintenance for maximum efficiency. Knowing these things can greatly reduce your energy consumption.
• When turning on your HVAC, don’t set it to a colder or warmer temperature than normal because it will result to over-steering and will not warm or cool your home any faster but it can lead you to unnecessary expense.
• Conduct regular maintenance or tune up of your HVAC system. Without proper maintenance, your unit will not perform efficiently and will cost more power to operate. You can hire a company to properly tune up your system; it can help you save on energy cost in the long run.
• Change HVAC filters regularly. During peak heating and cooling seasons, it is best to replace your filters every month. Dirty filters will not only give you poor indoor air quality but would also require more energy to operate.
• If possible, automate your HVAC system. There are Energy Star programmable thermostats that are now sold in the market and these can help optimize HVAC operation and save energy. You can program it to turn on and off at your desired time and you can also override the system when needed. You can also program it to lower or increase the thermostat while you are sleeping.

Air Conditioning Unit

• Consider using fans. Fans are effective in spreading cold air through your home and pushing warm air out but they are not as expensive to operate as your normal air conditioning unit.
• Put your air conditioning units under a shade without blocking air flow. Air conditioning units that operate under a shade consume up to 10 percent less energy that those operating under the sun.
• When the sun is at its peak and your east and west windows are directly hit, close drapes or shades to reduce exposure to direct sunlight. This can help reduce the power needed to cool the temperature inside the room.
• Keep the coils of your air conditioning system clean. Dirt can easily build up on the coils of your unit causing your system to be less efficient.

Heating System

• Make sure that air vents and registers are not blocked. If blocked, they will reduce the airflow and will require your heating system to run longer, adding to your energy consumption.
• Always clean your return and supply register. Accumulation of dust can reduce efficiency.
• Keep the ductwork properly sealed. If ductwork is not properly sealed, it will leak the warm air outside, thus requiring more power to maintain the warm temperature inside your home.
• Take advantage of the winter sun. When sunny during winter days, take advantage of the heat of the sun to warm your home. You can keep your drapes and blinds open to help warm it.

These tips are not all-encompassing since there are other simple things that you can do at home that can greatly reduce your HVAC energy consumption. It is important though to note that there are a lot of ways on how you can save on energy when using your HVAC. You just have to know them and do them.