Tips on Improving Your Home Comfort System’s Energy Efficiency

Conserving energy doesn’t have to be a difficult process. You can begin living a “greener” lifestyle by just making a few small changes here and there. Every bit of energy you save helps the environment and saves you money!

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Tip: Always change your filters regularly!

Every home comfort system is different, and each one varies in how often its filter needs changing. Read up on your specific home comfort system to see how often it should be changed. A dirty filter will slow air flow and make your system work harder to keep your home warm or cool, which wastes energy.

Tip: Ensure your attic is properly ventilated!

If your attic isn’t properly ventilated, it can create a number of problems. In the summer, your attic’s temperatures can soar, which forces hot air into your home and makes your a/c run more often. In the winter, an improperly ventilated attic can cause snow on roofs to melt and then freeze, forming ice dams. Ice dams can create serious problems for your roof and home.

Tip: Seal your home!

Caulk or weather strip around doors and windows. Large amounts of conditioned air can escape from these seemingly small openings.

Tip: Keep your air registers open!

Make sure all of your registers are clearly open, so that conditioned air can reach all segments of your home. Also, make sure that no furniture is positioned over any registers, which would reduce airflow.

Tip: Remember how the sun can help or hurt you!

In the summer, keep your shades down to keep the sun from shining inside your home. It can drastically increase the temperature. In the winter, keep your shades open. The sun can raise the temperature of your home without your furnace needing to run quite as often.

Tip: Open a window!

During times of the year where the weather may be hot during the day, but cool during the evening, shut off your air conditioner after the sun goes down.

Tip: Install ceiling fans!

Ceiling fans can make a room feel drastically cooler without using nearly as much electricity. That allows you to keep your thermostat a little higher in the summer. During the winter, you can reverse your ceiling fan, which will push the warm air back down.

Tip: Use window fans in the summer!

They can be a great compliment to ceiling fans. Window fans are best used when facing away from the wind and exhausting hot air from your home.

Tip: Install a whole house fan!

If you have a large home, you may want to consider a whole house fan. It can push a great deal of the warm air out of your home making it feel drastically cooler. These are ideal for the evening hours.

Tip: Landscape your home based upon your environment!

If you live in a warm climate, you might consider planting trees or shrubs near your home. They can shade your home and reduce the sun’s impact. In colder climates, consider planting trees or building a fence that might block the wind from forcing itself though windows or small cracks around your home. If the wind is cold enough, it too could cause your house temperature to drop further.

These tips will help improve the amount of energy your home comfort system uses. However, if you’re serious about becoming environmentally responsible, here’s how you can create a “Green Home Comfort System” in your home!