Winter or summer, you trust your house’s heating and air conditioning systems to keep your home at a comfortable temperature regardless of the weather outside. Your HVAC system works hard most of the year, and it’s important to take steps to keep it functioning efficiently. Routine maintenance on your HVAC system is a vital part of ensuring your home stays comfortable year-round. Here are four ways to help your HVAC system perform effectively while keeping your utility bills low. Schedule a Tune Up For both your furnace and air conditioner, constant operation is hard on the units. Scheduling a tune up with a professional HVAC technician is a smart way to make sure your system is in good working order. This minimizes the risk of your system breaking down and needing emergency repair. Additionally, a technician will check for any minor problems and adjust all the settings to optimize performance and efficiency. It’s best to schedule a tune up before heavy operation, so get your air conditioner tuned up in the spring and take care of your heater in the fall. Know When It’s Time for an Upgrade When you start noticing problems with your heater or AC unit, especially if you’re calling the repair technician often, it’s time to consider upgrading to a new unit. Most furnaces and air conditioners are designed to work for about 10 to 15 years. If your system is approaching that age and frequently in need of repair, it may be a better financial decision to replace your furnace or AC unit with a new model. You’ll not only reduce repair costs, you’ll also save money on your monthly energy bill as new systems are far more efficient than older models. Reduce the Load on Your System Reducing the demand on your HVAC system when possible helps it perform well and last a long time. Installing a programmable thermostat is smart, as you can create settings to reduce the load on your system when you are out of the house or sleeping. Light-blocking shades on your windows reduce the demand on your AC. It’s also good to inspect your home for any areas where air is moving freely between inside and outside. You can use a mixture of caulk and weatherstripping to cover gaps. Improving your home’s insulation helps the entire HVAC system. Get a Home Energy Audit Another way to ensure your HVAC system is ready to meet the demands of every season is to have a home energy audit performed by heating and cooling experts. This service includes an inspection of your home to identify areas of high energy consumption, incorrect ventilation and other inefficiencies. This is a smart way to find minor issues before they turn into major problems and improve your home to be as energy-efficient as possible. Your HVAC system is a vital part of your home’s infrastructure. Climate control not only keeps you comfortable in your home, but also helps protect your home’s structure from damage caused by large temperature swings. Scheduling a home energy audit and HVAC tune up with a professional technician ensures the highest level of efficiency and performance. You’ll also have advance warning of issues so you’ll know when it’s time to upgrade to a new system.
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