If you’ve noticed yourself having more conversations with friends and colleagues about the onset of spring’s and summer’s approaching heat, you are in good company. Feeling cold is certainly no picnic, but being too hot… well, that is just pure misery!
This makes spring the perfect time to tackle tough issues like HVAC efficiency, energy cost reduction, and indoor air quality. In this post, learn three simple steps you can take now to improve all three before summer hits.
Step One: Prevention
Your first step to improving your HVAC unit’s overall efficiency is to take a proactive, preventative approach towards how hard it has to work.
You can do this by controlling how many toxins you bring into your home. There are two types of toxins: passive and active. Happily, you can control both the presence and the quantity of both toxin types.
Passive toxins
Passive toxins come into your home with such stealth, you may not even be aware they are there.
The most common passive toxins include:
- Pollen
- Dust
- Pet dander
- Smog
- Pesticides, herbicides, insecticides
- Acid rain
These toxins often enter your home by clinging to your socks, shoes, and outerwear. The easiest way to control them is to simply refuse to let them get past the door.
Take off your shoes and outerwear as you enter your home. Take a shower and change into fresh clothing. Throw the worn clothes into the wash. If this seems extreme, you can do it at least after a visit into nature or the city, or to the vet or when having been with someone else’s pets.
Active toxins
Active toxins are those that you may bring in with you or even add to your indoor air consciously (whether or not you are aware at the time).
The most common types of active toxins include these:
- Air fresheners
- Commercial household cleaning products
- Tobacco of any kind
- Pet dander
- Carbon monoxide (this toxin is considered active only for those homes that have not yet had a carbon monoxide detector installed)
There are lots of things you can do to bar the door against them, including switching to natural cleaning products and air fresheners, ceasing tobacco use (or at least moving it outdoors for a lower impact), refusing to let pets in your bedroom areas, and having a CO detector installed.
Step Two: Intervention
Your second step to improving your HVAC unit’s overall efficiency will also begin to actively reduce your energy costs. This is because you will be sharing the responsibility with your HVAC unit for keeping your indoor air supply clean.
This intervention phase focuses on identifying existing problems, solving them, and then moving forward (via step three), doing your best to make sure they don’t return.
The most effective ways for homeowners to solve existing HVAC efficiency issues are as follows:
Improve energy efficiency If you suspect your air conditioner is starting to campaign for retirement, you may be pleasantly surprised by the cost savings of choosing to replace your HVAC system. The new Energy Star-rated systems can provide up to a 20 percent reduction in energy use with a corresponding reduction in energy costs, while also delivering more reliable and efficient indoor air temperature control.
Improve air circulation Continuing to recirculate already dirty air through dust and allergen-clogged air ducts not only causes your HVAC system to work harder and draw more energy, but it also impairs your immune system and increases your health care costs. You can immediately stop this problem from recurring simply by having your air ducts cleaned and maintained regularly.
Improve appliance function By having regular maintenance inspections and tune-ups, you can raise the efficiency of a struggling HVAC system. Non-working or failing parts, non-lubrication of moving parts, accumulation of dirt and debris, clogged air filters, and other common issues can all cause your HVAC system to work harder and draw more energy than it needs to. So just by scheduling regular maintenance tune-ups, you can keep your overall energy costs low and your efficiency high.
Step Three: Maintenance
Maintenance is the key to holding on to improvements in both HVAC system efficiency and energy cost savings.
This third and final step includes all of the following:
Regularly changing out air filters At least monthly is ideal on a year-round basis.
Keeping the area around your HVAC unit clean Clearing out dirt and debris, preventing entry by rodents and other unwelcome visitors, and sheltering your system from the elements are all part of ongoing maintenance to keep your unit operating at maximum efficiency.
Staying alert to warning signs If you hear mysterious sounds (clanking, clicking, rattling, knocking), smell odd odors (musty, dusty, burning, damp), sense a rise in the humidity levels of your indoor air, or detect other warnings signs, don’t wait! Only by taking prompt action to schedule a maintenance and repair call can you keep minor HVAC issues from turning into major repairs or replacements just when temperatures are at their highest.
Contact Shipton’s Heating & Cooling Today
If you have questions or need assistance with maintaining, upgrading, repairing, or replacing your HVAC unit, Shipton’s Heating & Cooling can help. Our company has nearly 100 years of service with many professional affiliations and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
We are happy to provide you with a free initial consultation and free estimate for any repairs, upgrades, or replacements. Our easy maintenance agreements keep your costs low and your HVAC efficiency level high. Contact us by phone at 905-549-4616 or online anytime to learn more.
