As your heating system during winter, your credit card works pretty hard during the holiday season. Why not do yourself a favor and take some of the stress off your expenses and save some energy? With the holiday season in full swing, you’re probably spending more time at home and having more people over. Energy savings can help relieve some of that holiday overhead so you don’t start off your fresh 2019 with a gigantic energy bill. Here are some energy-saving ideas that won’t disrupt your life, won’t make you feel like you are giving up too much, and will help your wallet get back to a healthy, portly size.
Thermostat Presets
It’s like an on-demand cable with recording except for your air-temperature. You can use energy savings thermostats by setting your controls to dictate when you want your heating system to go on and off. Programming your heat to turn off during the day when you are at work or typically out and about will definitely deliver energy savings. Plus, you will be decreasing the amount of wasted energy your home is using.
Remember that whole-body heat thing we humans can provide each other? Even when you are in the room with other people your body is giving off heat. If you are having guests over or throwing a party, turn down your thermostat. Add in the fact that a few of your guests are wearing sweaters already, then there should be a healthy amount of heat to go around so your furnace doesn’t have to work as hard.
Insulation
Remember to keep your insulation on your mind. Sealing cracks and ensuring that your house is fully coated will keep warm air in longer so you won’t have to keep running your heater. The same goes for cool air as well if Orange County and LA County find themselves in a holiday heatwave. If your house is properly insulated and you are making sure air isn’t leaking out, you see more energy savings no matter the time of year. This is easy as making sure to close the door behind you, keep the windows shut and try to avoid drafts in your home. If you have a room that is usually colder or warmer than the rest of your house, you may have a circulation or ductwork issue but don’t worry, Accurate can come and help fix that issue.
Power Down the Tech
Try powering down the main electronics if you want your home to feel cooler. Turning on the fireplace channel and standing in front of your 50” television pretending it’s a real fireplace isn’t going to give you the results you want when it comes to heating. Yet if you are not using appliances or leaving your computers or televisions on, you can increase the efficiency of your air conditioner and enjoy energy savings. The opposite works as well. If you find yourself cooking, baking, or using your household electronics with family over, turn off your heater. There’s plenty of heat already being given off so you don’t need to double up.
Airflow
Changing your air filters and making sure your ductwork is clean is an energy savings idea that is often forgotten. If the circulation is good, then all is usually well for HVAC efficiency which means your heater and air conditioner can do what they’re supposed to do at the capacity they are supposed to run at. Preserving your ductwork by making sure you don’t have debris build-up, dust clutter or even squirrel family reunions will save you energy costs.
Use Your Windows to Your Advantage
Photographers do their best work with natural light. While this metaphor seems like a stretch, it’s actually a good idea when it comes to air temperature. You can benefit from natural light as well as a lack of natural light when trying to control the air temperature in your home. Windows have been around as long as we’ve been living in human-built structures so why not sip on your eggnog while engaging in a little holiday ingenuity? If the winter is knocking on the door, during the day allow warm air to shine through your windows from the sun and then close your blinds at night to add another layer of insulation against the glass to harness that warm air in.
If the holiday heat decides to bring a strong sun to LA County and Orange County, get your energy savings by closing your windows during the day and leaving the blinds open at night to compensate for some cooler air. You won’t have to run your heater or air conditioner or at least run it for that long and you can stand proud claiming to all you are a genius. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone it was our idea – you can use that.
Routine Maintenance
It’s like regular exercise for your HVAC system. It preserves the longevity and enables your system to run harder if need be and puts less stress on the mechanical components in the long run. If one of your heater or air conditioner parts breaks down or malfunctions and you don’t do anything about it, the effects could cause chaos in your system causing other parts to break down even if they were not at risk in the first place. More components end up having to compensate. If you had a sore calf muscle or your lower back was pulled and you tried to play a sport then your body would have to compensate for that. You might end up injuring something else as well as further damaging your back or calf. This is the same for an HVAC system. While routine maintenance may sound like an added energy cost, the reality is it is just the opposite. Maintaining the well being of your HVAC system will give you more energy savings in the long run and you won’t have to worry about your credit card working overtime at unexpected times.
Thoughts On Replacements
If you are thinking about replacing your HVAC equipment or updating your system, you should look into newer models that are energy efficient. Accurate has extensive knowledge about what’s out on the market and we can always come to assess your home’s unique layout to find what the best option for your energy needs would be. There have been incredible advances in HVAC technology throughout the last few years. It’s true, with all the busy lifestyles we live and the crazy schedules we have, thinking about replacing your heating system or air conditioning system seems stressful and probably something you don’t want to waste money on. However, you could revamp your entire home’s expenses by investing in an energy-efficient HVAC system and end up seeing triple the return on your investment. Living in the future also helps with energy savings.
At Accurate we always want to give our customers all the information so they are aware of their options and make the best decision they’re comfortable with. Providing our customers with options is important to us because we never want to make our clients feel they have their back against the wall when it comes to investing in an HVAC system. Accurate is a family-run company servicing Southern California families in LA County and Orange County and we wish all of our families Happy Holidays!
