This is a perfect time to commit to some energy and money saving HVAC resolutions for the new year. Most of them also will enhance comfort in your eastern North Carolina home. Commit to the following and you’ll be glad you did:
1. Inspect and change the furnace or A/C filter on a regular schedule.
Changing the filter is the easy part; remembering to change it is more difficult. Your HVAC professional will change the filter(s) during your two maintenance tune up visits each year. However, if you have the filters that should be changed monthly, add a reminder to your calendar on your mobile device or mark it on a wall calendar. When it looks clogged, change it. A clogged filter can lead to wasted energy, poor heating/cooling performance, reduced indoor air quality, and stressed-out equipment.
2. Schedule an annual maintenance tune up for both your cooling system and heating system.
For a relatively small price, you can rest easy knowing your furnace, A/C or heat pump has been cleaned, lubricated and adjusted for optimum efficiency, performance and safety. For example: have the furnace or heat pump tuned up in the early fall and the A/C in the early spring.
3. Adjust ceiling fans for seasonal operation.
In the summer, the fan blades should be set to counter-clockwise rotation so cooling air is pushed downward into the room. During the heating season, the fan-blade rotation should be clockwise. This way, the air is pushed upward, where it displaces warm air that collects near the ceiling. That warmth then sweeps down into the room where people can feel it.
4. On a regular basis, check vents and registers throughout your home to make sure they aren’t blocked by furniture, carpeting, drapes, toys or other items.
Your forced-air HVAC system needs free and clear airflow to work properly.
5. Inspect the outer perimeter of your home from both inside and outside.
When you find cracks or holes, fill them with caulking or spray foam. Check weatherstripping on windows and doors to make sure it’s not old and deteriorating. An airtight home is easier to heat and cool.
6. Check your attic for sufficient insulation.
The attic is the most vulnerable spot in your house for unwanted heat transfer between inside and outside.
For more ideas for HVAC resolutions for 2018, please contact us at Jackson and Sons.
Jackson & Sons, Inc.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Eastern North Carolina (including Wayne, Johnston, Greene, Lenoir, Pitt and Duplin Counties) about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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