Four Ways To Optimize Your HVAC System Efficiency

Four Ways To Optimize Your HVAC System Efficiency

With home heating and cooling costs accounting for up to 50 percent of annual household energy expenditures, it’s a good idea to find ways to increase the efficiency of your HVAC system. Here are four useful ways to make your furnace, air conditioner or heat pump more efficient and more economical.

1. Schedule regular maintenance – Regular preventive maintenance is a key factor in keeping your HVAC system running efficiently. Schedule a professional inspection and maintenance call at least annually. Expert service makes sure parts and components are operating effectively while heading off problems and breakdowns before they can happen.
2. Change air filter – Clean filters not only capture and hold airborne contaminants, they also keep your HVAC system running more efficiently. Dirty or blocked filters restrict the airflow inside your furnace or air conditioner, causing the system to run harder and waste fuel to keep up with indoor temperature demands. Changing filters is probably the easiest, quickest and cheapest thing you can do to reduce indoor comfort costs.
3. Install a programmable thermostat – Programmable digital thermostats let you control the operation of your furnace, heat pump or air conditioner. They provide scheduling options that reduce how much your heating or cooling system runs when it isn’t needed. This cuts fuel consumption and saves you money.
4. Seal ductwork – Leaky ductwork lets air you’ve already paid to heat or cool drift away unused. Seal your HVAC system’s ductwork to keep this waste from occurring. Make certain ductwork segments fit together tightly. Seal connections, joints and elbows with mastic or metal tape. Insulate the ducts to prevent energy loss through the thin metal of the ductwork itself. By adequately sealing your ductwork, you can make your heating or cooling system as much as 20 percent more efficient.

Since 1969, Air-Tro Inc. has provided design, installation, repair and maintenance to customers in the greater Los Angeles area, including L.A. and Orange Counties, Riverside metro, and San Bernardino County. Contact us today for answers to your questions about HVAC efficiency and what you can do to improve the performance of your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about efficiency and other HVAC topics, visit our website.

Air-Tro Inc. services the greater Los Angeles area as well as the metro areas of Riverside and San Bernardino County.