Residential HVAC businesses are all about total home comfort.
That means every room in the house is warm when it’s cold outside, and cool when it’s hot outside. This comes down to several factors whenever a new HVAC system of any kind is installed. In many ways, your total home comfort is mostly affected by the installation process of your HVAC system, but there are several ways you can take action to ensure your home is comfortable in all seasons.
There are three distinct ways to avoid costly HVAC mistakes and improve HVAC efficiency so that you can make your home comfortable without breaking the bank.
Handling and Avoiding Emergency HVAC Repairs
Imaging, there’s a blizzard outside and your furnace goes out. What do you do?
In this situation, you’ll likely have to contact your HVAC company to fix it. But, as Bounds Heating and Air in Gainesville, Florida points out, there may be some measures you can take to fix problems before you have to bring in the experts:
In a well-maintained HVAC system, the problem usually isn’t with the unit itself. Sometimes power plugs can get dislodged, entirely cutting off the power to your home’s furnace or air conditioner. Survey the outlets to see if any of the power cables have become detached, then check to make sure everything is connected and all cords are in their proper place.
Power Struggles
Many heating and air conditioning problems can be traced back to a faulty thermostat. Ensure your thermostat is operating correctly and in full battery mode. A low-power battery can affect the way your thermostat detects air temperature and cause your furnace to perform far less efficiently.
Free-Flowing Filters
When your air filters are clogged with dust and dirt, the flow of air is interrupted. This will eventually cause your heat exchanger to overheat, which will then trigger an automatic shutdown of your furnace as a safety measure. This issue is known as short cycling, and is one of the most common reasons homeowners call for emergency air conditioning repair.
Performing regular maintenance on your heating and cooling systems can help you avoid emergency HVAC repair.
Upgrading Your Energy Usage
Investing in home energy upgrades can be expensive up front but save you money and headaches in the future. You’ll be able to heat and cool your home more efficiently if you get an energy audit and using that information to make improvements. Many HVAC companies offer energy audits to customers, showing them exactly how they can tighten their energy envelope and save on energy costs now and in the future.
Environmental group Earth911 published an article about making total home comfort energy usage more efficient:
An auditor can determine if lack of insulation, leaky windows, or gaps and cracks in the home exterior are the main culprits. If your home has energy performance issues, an auditor can often get to the root cause. Energy efficiency experts can use a blower door test, infrared cameras, and a duct leakage test to customize top energy-saving recommendations for your home.
Some home energy upgrades can be done as a DIY weekend project with limited skill while others are more difficult to complete. Some upgrades may qualify for zero-percent financing, allowing the energy savings to outpace the loan payments in some cases. Many of the tips in the advanced energy-saving upgrades section may qualify for financing.
Maintaining your HVAC systems by replacing filters and getting air conditioners and furnaces serviced regularly by HVAC technicians is another tip for maximum efficiency. Other simple solutions include installing a water-saving showerhead and a programmable thermostat.
More on Thermostats
Smart thermostats are becoming more commonplace as more homeowners realize their potential to save them money on their every day heating and cooling costs.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch had some advice for homeowners on the advantages of programmable thermostats:
To truly realize the advantages of a programmable thermostat, consider these tips:
- Choose a thermostat that manages your system properly and efficiently. Select a thermostat that is not only easy for you to understand and program, but one that controls all of the equipment in your HVAC system, including an air purifier, humidifier, air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump.
- Have the HVAC control or thermostat installed by [an] … HVAC expert to ensure the wiring and settings are configured to match the needs of your specific system.
- Choose a program that fits well with your lifestyle and stick with it. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, energy can be saved if you keep energy-saving set points activated for longer timeframes. So, you could leave home energy-saving set points on during the work/school day, or at night when family members are asleep, for instance.
By buying into a few of these concepts in your home, you’ll realize big savings on energy costs almost immediately.
Conclusion
If you’re interested in learning more about thermostats, be it traditional or smart thermostats, we’d love to start a conversation. Give us a call at (303) 564-0986 to schedule an appointment today.