Discover 6 Ways to Save Energy in Your HVAC System

HVAC systems are one of the biggest consumers of energy in the modern household. While it can take a lot of electricity and gas to keep your air at a comfortable temperature, there are ways to reduce energy consumption. Follow these tips to lower your power bills and make your HVAC system more efficient.

1. Adjust Your Temperature Settings

The best thing you can do is simply avoid keeping your home toasty warm in the winter and freezing cold in the summer. Just adjusting your thermostat by a few degrees can result in drastic savings without any noticeable discomfort. The United States Department of Energy recommends homeowners keep their HVAC at 78 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter for maximum efficiency. However, if that sounds too unpleasant, every little change helps. Each degree of temperature change per 8 hours gives you savings of approximately 1%.

2. Use Your Ceiling Fans Correctly

If you have ceiling fans, you’re in luck. A ceiling fan can make your home feel a lot more comfortable without using as much energy as your HVAC system. In warm months, a refreshing breeze from the fan can help you stay cool even if your system is set to a higher temperature. In colder months, set your ceiling fan to rotate clockwise. This pushes warm air down and pulls cold air up, so you get a warm draft of air right at face level. By helping your heated air circulate, your fan makes your whole home more comfortable.

3. Get Your HVAC System Regularly Maintained

If you want your system to run as efficiently as possible, make sure to get it regularly maintained. During HVAC maintenance, your service tech removes grime that could make your system work harder and tightens up any loose components that could be working improperly. This ensures that everything functions optimally, so you get the maximum cooling and heating power with as little energy as possible. For best results, make sure to get maintenance once or twice per year.

4. Insulate and Seal Your Home

When your home is as airtight as possible, your HVAC system uses less energy. The benefit of insulation is that it keeps all treated air inside the home and prevents outside temperatures from affecting your home. There are a lot of quick and simple things you can do like add weatherstrips to the bottom of your door or use expanding foam to seal cracks around window frames. Some homeowners can also benefit from adding extra insulation to their walls, attic, or basement.

5. Reduce HVAC Usage When You Aren’t Present

If you want to save energy, try to avoid running your system when you aren’t around to appreciate it. Homeowners can save a lot simply by turning their system off when they go to work or by letting it run at a less intense temperature while they sleep. A programmable thermostat makes these sorts of settings a lot easier. You can set your HVAC to automatically adjust temperatures on a schedule. A programmable thermostat can also turn back on before you get home so that you don’t walk into an unpleasantly hot or cold house. Just make sure to keep interior temperatures above 55 degrees and below 90 degrees to keep your building in good condition.

6. Get Effective Window Treatments

Your windows can have a huge impact on your home’s comfort levels. Not only do they let in sun, but they’re also less insulated than the rest of your home. With the right window treatment, you can harness these effects to help your HVAC work less. During the summer, it’s helpful to block direct sunlight into your home. Light-blocking shades or blinds keep your AC from running constantly. During the winter, thick curtains help to insulate your windows and keep the warm air inside your home. Just remember to open window treatments on any window that gets direct sunlight because the warmth can provide a helpful boost to your heater.

[Company_name] is here to help Puyallup residents make their HVAC systems as efficient as possible. Our team of highly trained professionals is happy to assist you with HVAC maintenance or install energy-efficient HVAC components. We also provide a wide range of other HVAC services including ductwork design, heater repairs, and indoor air quality assistance. To learn more about Puyallup Heating & Air Conditioning, give our team a call today.