While most people think about planting trees when Arbor Day comes around, there are other things you can do at home to promote a “greener” way of living. If you aren’t ready to plant trees, you can still examine your landscaping and home choices to see if any are doing more harm than good.
For example, your home’s heating and cooling system accounts for over half of your energy bill and impacts the quality of your indoor air. Calling Douglas Cooling & Heating to improve your HVAC system’s performance will help cut energy costs and promote healthier air around your home. Celebrate this Arbor Day by taking a look at your HVAC unit’s efficiency, your indoor air quality and your landscaping choices. You might be surprised by what you find!
Schedule HVAC Repair Service
Even with routine maintenance, your heating and cooling system needs to be inspected and cleaned to ensure there aren’t any issues. HVAC repair service will check your unit and its operation to determine if it’s performing at its highest efficiency. A heating and cooling system with damaged components or restricted airflow will operate harder than necessary to maintain an ideal temperature. By working harder, your system uses more energy, causing your energy bill to climb when the heat rises.
An obstruction in your air ducts or vents can cause your HVAC system to cycle on and off repeatedly throughout the day. Constant cycling can cause your cooling system to overheat, resulting in an expensive HVAC repair in the near future. Debris, dirt, and dust can build up on the components inside your unit, preventing normal operation.
By scheduling an HVAC repair with Douglas Cooling & Heating, our NATE-certified technicians will clean your system if any buildup is noticed and inspect your ductwork for any obstructions compromising the airflow in your home.
Improving Indoor Air Quality
Trees create fresh, clean air, and in your home, the air might not be so clean or fresh. Your indoor air quality is affected every day by what is pulled into your cooling system, both from outside and inside your home.
Scheduling HVAC repair service for your unit will help reduce the different particulates circulating throughout your home such as dust, dirt, pollen, and other allergens. If your air filter isn’t checked monthly, it can become clogged or too dirty to adequately filter these pollutants from the air in your home. The recommended schedule for replacing your system’s filter is once every three months, depending on the model. Remember, if you have pets inside or live in a high pollen area, change the filter more often.
Along with maintenance and HVAC repairs, consider other options to improve your indoor air quality. If you install a programmable or smart thermostat in your home it will send you reminders when your heating and cooling system needs maintenance, an HVAC repair or a filter replacement. Advanced thermostats can now be controlled via Wi-Fi, and they offer more accuracy for climate control, reducing energy use on a daily basis.
Choose Your Landscaping Wisely
Evaluate how a tree’s location can affect your HVAC system. Any type of vegetation near your outdoor unit needs to be planted a safe distance away, typically 1-3 feet. Leaves, twigs, branches, and other storm debris can accumulate and affect the airflow performance of your unit, so include a quick check in your weekly yard work.
Before you plant a new tree, consider if it has a disruptive root system, how close it will be to your outdoor unit and if it will provide any shading for the unit. When the heat rises, and the sun is high, your outdoor unit gets extremely hot, and without proper shading, it can overheat quickly. Overheating will result in malfunctions and breakdowns creating expensive HVAC repairs when you least expect them. Additional shade from a new tree or shrub will allow your outdoor unit to operate with ease while trying to keep you cool indoors.
Whether you celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree or not, make a conscious choice to improve your indoor air quality and lower your energy use. Determining the right choices for your home, yard, and HVAC system can be overwhelming, but relax, Douglas Cooling & Heating is here to help! Call Douglas Cooling & Heating today.
