Energy-Saving Tips for HVAC Systems

Focusing on routine practices and recommended upgrades is your first step to achieving HVAC efficiency and maximizing energy savings. Once you understand the problem areas where energy is commonly lost or wasted by your heating and cooling system, it becomes easier to address each situation. Including ways to save energy is crucial for a more sustainable and cost-effective approach. The sections below expose the five vulnerable areas and provide energy-saving tips that KJ’s Heating and Air recommends following.

Regularly Changing Air and HVAC Filters

A fundamental first step towards maintaining energy efficiency with your system is regularly changing the air and HVAC filters. You may be unaware, but dirty or clogged filters will easily restrict airflow, forcing the system to work harder and longer, increasing energy consumption unnecessarily. Ensuring filters are cleaned and replaced periodically enhances the system’s efficiency, improving your indoor air quality.

Sealing Central Air Ducts and Draft-Proofing Your Home

It might surprise you. In your home, you have hidden areas where leaks in your ductwork go unnoticed, sometimes for years, leading to higher utility costs because heated and cooled air escape through those areas undetected. Furthermore, drafts around your windows and doors allow outside air to enter, reducing your HVAC system’s temperature effectiveness. Addressing these issues early by sealing ducts and eliminating drafts from doors and windows minimizes consumption.

Over time, the old insulation in your home will collapse due to age, causing pockets of indoor temperature instability. That forces your HVAC system to run longer, increasing the strain on the unit and shortening its lifespan. Upgrading insulation in walls, attics, and other areas returns heating and cooling balance and significantly enhances energy efficiency, leading to a comfortable indoor environment and lowering utility costs.

Proper sealing prevents outdoor air from entering and conditioned air from escaping, giving you a stable indoor environment. To keep that stability, you must check and seal gaps around potential entry points, not just your windows and doors. When inspecting walls, floors, indoor plumbing, and laundry chutes, it is easy to discover tiny drafts of air moving through these entry points, where patching or using a sealer stops this unwanted airflow.

Regularly adjusting your thermostat or upgrading to a Smart HVAC control device are two ways to boost energy efficiency. You can quickly reduce energy usage by slightly changing the temperature when you’re away or asleep. The other choice is upgrading to a smart thermostat, which gives you more control and mobile options. In fact, from your phone, you can monitor and turn your system on or off anytime.

Along with regular servicing and upgrading your HVAC system, we also have insider bonus tips to pass along to ensure your system runs efficiently for many years:

Bonus Tips:

• Keep Your Vents Clear and Clean: Inspect and keep your vents free from obstructions like furniture or drapes that easily blog airflow, negatively affecting system performance.
• Use Curtains, Blinds, and Drapes: During the summer, close blinds or drapes to keep your home cooler, and open them on sunny days in the winter to bring in natural warmth.
• Utilize Ceiling Fans for Air Circulation: Rotate ceiling fans counterclockwise to create a cooling effect in the summer and clockwise to redistribute warm air during winter.
• Program Your Thermostat for Different Times of the Day: This option lets you pre-program your thermostat when to turn your system on or off throughout the day.
• Inspect and Clean Your A/C Drain Line: Regularly clean your drain line to prevent water backups and unwanted system clogs.
• Clean the Condenser and Evaporator Coils: Unclean coils and condensers restrict airflow, causing costly unexpected damages, and the replacement parts are expensive.
• Schedule Yearly HVAC Inspections: Annual spring or fall HVAC inspections will identify and resolve system issues, preventing a system failure.

With KJ’s Heating and Air energy-saving and insider bonus tips in your possession, forgetting to schedule regular inspections and maintenance is a thing of the past. When you feel your indoor comfort lever shifting, you immediately know to look for drafts and obstructions. With our team at your side 24 hours a day, your home stays comfortable year-round.