Whether it’s summer, winter, spring, or fall, your HVAC system has the full-time job of keeping your home at the perfect temperature. As you’ve probably noticed after an especially hot month in San Diego, this can be quite an expensive job.
At Ryan Refrigeration, Heating, Air, & Solar, we want to help you save money by lowering your expenses. We also want to help you reduce your environmental impact. One way you can do both is to increase the efficiency of your HVAC system. In honor of Earth Day, we at Ryan Refrigeration, Heating, Air, & Solar offer these tips to help you reduce your HVAC carbon footprint.
Stay Consistent
One easy way to save energy that requires almost no effort on your part is to simply keep the temperature in your home consistent. It can be tempting to raise or lower the temperature in your home every time you feel a little uncomfortable. With the constant stops and starts, though, your system won’t be able to run as efficiently as it could.
Instead of constantly changing the settings, take some extra time to find a temperature that suits you well and then take steps to make the thermostat inaccessible until you form the good habit of leaving the thermostat alone.
Keep Your Air Filter Clean
Another basic step you can take is to make sure your HVAC system is always running with a clean filter. Since a clean filter allows air to more freely move through, your HVAC system won’t use as much energy to achieve the same result.
Something else worth mentioning is that some HVAC systems have more than one filter. If you aren’t sure about your system, give Ryan Refrigeration, Heating, Air, & Solar a call. We’ll help you determine the locations of all your filters. After all, your system can only run efficiently if all of its filters are clean.
Have Your Ducts Cleaned
Speaking of keeping things clean, properly cleaned ducts are just as important to HVAC efficiency as clean filters. Though you don’t need to clean your ducts as often as you change your air filters, it’s still a good idea to have your ducts inspected every few years. In addition to checking for large concentrations of dust, a duct inspection technician can reveal any imperfections that may be lowering system efficiency.
Protect Against Drafts
A constant influx of outside air can cause your HVAC system to work overtime, leading to much higher energy usage. Therefore, it’s important to take measures to prevent this air from coming into your home.
A great way to achieve the best results is to first seal all the obvious holes, gaps, and cracks. After you’ve done that, you can arrange for a home energy audit to find any unexpected areas that you may have missed.
Install a New Thermostat
When it comes to HVAC efficiency, thermostats can make all the difference in the world. That’s why it makes sense to have Ryan Refrigeration, Heating, Air, & Solar install a programmable or smart thermostat if your system isn’t already equipped with one.
These thermostats can ensure that your system is only using peak energy when you’re home. When you’re not home, the thermostat will automatically maintain a lower temperature, meaning your system will use a lot less energy.
Show Some Love
Just like an annual doctor’s checkup is a great way to maintain good physical health, an annual HVAC checkup by Ryan Refrigeration, Heating, Air, & Solar is a great way to maintain the health of your heating and cooling system. When it comes to HVAC units, though, it’s better if those check-ups occur twice a year: once in the spring and once in the fall.
During these routine maintenance appointments, a technician can check to ensure that your system is clean, properly lubricated, and working at peak efficiency. With everything operating as it should, you can be sure that your system will use less power and will last longer.
Get Some Assistance
Fans, when used properly, can make a great addition to your energy-saving arsenal. It’s important that you understand how to correctly use fans, though, so you don’t end up using more energy than you save.
The key is that fans, though they may seem to cool a room, don’t actually lower the temperature of the air. That’s because moving air feels cooler on the skin than still, stagnant air. Therefore, as long as you’re in the room, running a fan instead of your HVAC system makes sense.
When you leave the room, though, a running fan doesn’t do anything except waste energy. If you can get in the habit, then, of turning the fan off when you leave the room just like you do the lights, you can make big gains in HVAC efficiency.
Stay Cool
Another way to save some energy is to keep your home as cool as possible. On the hottest days, try to avoid running the oven. If you do have to run the oven, try to keep the door closed. Or, instead of cooking your food inside, consider moving the process outside to the grill.
Another tip for the hottest days is to hang your laundry to dry instead of using your dryer. This will help to keep your home cooler and reduce energy use even further since you’re not using the dryer. As you look around your home, you’ll find that there are quite a few fixtures and appliances that release heat that you can avoid using to help your HVAC system work less.
Add Some Insulation
Once your HVAC system has used energy to produce warm or cold air, it’s vital that you keep that conditioned air around for as long as possible. Otherwise, your HVAC system will have to kick on again quickly, resulting in excess energy usage.
One great way to ensure that the conditioned air sticks around for a while is to add some insulation in your attic. This step is especially crucial in the winter since the heat from your home tends to escape through this area. Extra insulation is helpful year-round, however, to keep your home comfortable and energy bills low.
The Family-Owned Company That’s on Your Side
At Ryan Refrigeration, Heating, Air, & Solar, we know that home comfort can’t wait. That’s why we work hard to respond quickly to every call we receive. For nearly 30 years, we’ve been exceeding our customers’ expectations, one job at a time. We believe in educating our customers so they can be completely confident in the decisions they make regarding their HVAC systems.
This approach to customer satisfaction is why people love us across Facebook, Yelp, and other internet review sites. Whether you need HVAC maintenance or repair, need a new mini-ductless system, are interested in a new solar installation, or require commercial services, we would be thrilled to serve you. Don’t spend another moment in discomfort. Give us a call today.