Heating and cooling systems consume approximately 50 percent of a home’s energy use each year. With half your Birmingham home’s energy spend going to HVAC, these systems play a huge role in home energy efficiency. Improving their performance improves home energy efficiency, benefitting your family with better comfort and lower utility bills. Douglas Cooling & Heating helps Birmingham homeowners boost HVAC efficiency with these helpful tips:
5 Home Energy Efficiency Tips
1. Programmable and Smart Thermostats
Advanced thermostats are great tools for improving energy efficiency when it comes to your HVAC systems. Programmable thermostats allow you to set temperature schedules around your household’s schedule, so heating and cooling system setbacks occur automatically. Smart thermostats take this a step further, learning your schedule to make the most energy-conscious adjustments for your home.
Douglas Cooling & Heating provides installation for various models of programmable and smart thermostats. Learn more about the great products we offer and find the best fit for your home!
2. Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance is a necessary step to keep your heating and cooling systems’ efficiency high throughout the year. For best performance and maximum efficiency, these HVAC tune-ups should be performed twice a year – once for heating and once for cooling. With professional preventative maintenance, system issues standing in the way of home energy efficiency are resolved. Your system will operate at its best to keep utility bills in check.
Douglas Cooling & Heating offers a preventative maintenance program to boost home energy efficiency. In addition to bi-annual tune-ups, you receive special deals on future repairs and system upgrades to increase savings.
3. Ceiling Fans
This spring, utilize your Birmingham home’s ceiling fans to reduce energy consumption and give your cooling system a break. Fan blades should be set to rotate counterclockwise, which creates a draft and wind chill effect on your skin. With the use of a ceiling fan when a room is occupied, you can set back your thermostat about four degrees without sacrificing comfort.
4. Filter Changes
When you operate your cooling system with a dirty air filter, home energy efficiency greatly declines. A filter caked with debris does not allow air to move through the system as it needs. This forces your air conditioner to expend more energy to make up for the restriction, which results in higher electricity bills.
Check your air filter once a month. This is especially important during heavy use periods in spring and summer. Change it according to the manufacturer’s schedule, unless you find an early change is warranted upon inspection. This is often the case during periods of heavy system use or heavy pollen seasons.
5. Reduce Heat Gain
Reduce the amount of work your air conditioner must do when you keep heat out of your home. The more the temperature rises indoors, the harder your cooling system must work to keep your living areas comfortable. Reduce heat gain from the sun by using energy efficient window coverings such as shades or blinds. Use bathroom exhaust fans to pull warm, moist air out of your home after showers. When possible, cook outside to eliminate the heat created by your oven.
For More Home Energy Efficiency Tips Call Douglas Cooling & Heating
Take the steps to improve home energy efficiency today with the help of Douglas Cooling & Heating. We help you implement the above measures to reduce energy consumption and boost efficiency to maximize comfort and savings. Contact us today to get started.
