You spend a lot of money on utility bills, so you naturally look for ways to conserve energy. Intuitively, you turn to your HVAC system because of how much it affects your utilities and your wallet. When you ask for help in your fight against high energy costs, some HVAC companies will try to sell you a new, energy-efficient system. Buying a new system can torpedo your budget faster than your power bills can.
HVAC System Updates That Save You Money
HVAC technology evolves just like technology in other industries. You can leverage technology to upgrade rather than replace your HVAC system. Some of the options available to you, such as regular maintenance and tune-ups, will reduce your energy usage for many years to come. These 3 HVAC system updates will help you get started.
Zone Damper Systems
Ordinarily, you have one thermostat to control the climate in your entire house. A zone damper system segments your home, adding additional thermostats, so you can stop spending money on heating and cooling rooms that you rarely, if ever, in use. The system can also help compensate for rooms that naturally stay warmer or cooler than the rest of your house.
The Zone Damper System, also known as the Straight Jacket HVAC System, is used to cool offices or homes down during the summer months when it’s hot outside. Straight Jacket has made a name for itself by offering both low-cost and high-quality products that will keep you and your family cool throughout the day.
In the last few years, the world has changed and so have HVAC systems. Zone damper systems not only save energy but also extend the life of your electrical system. This is done by adjusting the thermostat to match your actual energy use.
The efficiency of HVAC systems has been increasing rapidly over the last several years. This is good for homeowners who save energy by improving the way they heat and cool their homes. Zone damper systems are a great way to save space while still keeping the indoor environment clean. They eliminate mold, mildew, dirt, dust, stains, and pollutants that build up inside a home as a result of poor ventilation. Your damper system will control how much outside air gets to mix with the return air in your vents.
Mobile HVAC Controls
Your mobile phone can remotely monitor the climate inside your home and allow you to adjust your thermostat accordingly. You can program your thermostat to send you mobile alerts based on temperature or humidity. This gives you the ability to control your HVAC system and further manage your utility bills.
Communications technology is evolving at a lightning pace. It used to take months to get Network Management Systems (NSMS) up and running, and even longer to install and maintain. Today, with the availability of cell phones and the potential for high-speed data transmission, HVAC systems are far more mobile. You can connect to the Internet almost instantaneously. This means that there are many more opportunities to improve the efficiency of your HVAC systems.
A recent study found that the average American switches off their air conditioning system 2.5 times a week. This means your home’s HVAC system should be able to save you more than $450 a year if you’re using smart scheduling, remote monitoring, and weather station data. This lets you send automatically adjusted heating and cooling settings to each room in your home. That is about half of the energy bill for heating and cooling for the average American household. According to ENERGY STAR, we spend approximately $900 annually on the heating and cooling part of our energy consumption.
With a setup like this in place, you can easily adjust the temperature in your home remotely through WiFi. So you no longer have to reach out to a neighbor or call a family member to drop by if you’re on vacation. You can simply adjust your heating or cooling settings via your mobile device. Many smart thermostats can be scheduled to make temperature adjustments at a particular time. This way, you don’t need to worry about this at all. In effect, your system can be more energy efficient.
Duct Resealing
It’s important to use modern techniques to patch leaking ductwork. Original installations of HVAC ductwork often use substandard sealants that degrade over time. You can have modern duct sealants installed that provide R-6 or R-8 insulation and meet UL 181 standards. By upgrading the seals in your ductwork, you can pocket huge savings that will keep your current HVAC system affordable well into the future. Additionally, you can use antimicrobial duct lining to reduce the number of allergens and pathogens circulating in your home.
Energy conservation is an essential part of effective HVAC system maintenance. As a result, it’s critical to use energy-efficient ductwork and seals to maintain the desired temperature within your home.
Your air conditioning vents can develop leaks for a variety of reasons. However, the most common reason is a loose duct connection. It’s not at all unusual for air leaks to develop in a duct system. If you’ve had your ducts cleaned recently, ask the service technician to look for obvious signs of air leakage. So look for gaps between sections of ductwork, disconnected ducts, and open seams on metal ducts are most common.
Over time, it isn’t unusual for joints in metal ductwork to loosen or gap as the rivets that hold them together wear down or fall out.
The following are some of the other reasons your air conditioning vents might leak:
- Poorly installed ductwork.
- Damaged or faulty insulation.
- Ducts that are too small for the system.
- A defective or leaking evaporator coil.
- A leaky condensate drain line.
- A loose connection between the ducts and the furnace or air handler unit (AHU).
If you notice any of these problems, you should consider calling a professional.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), energy-efficient homeowners can reduce their carbon footprint without investing in new equipment or using new methods of obtaining energy. Many people overlook the energy efficiency of their home heating and cooling systems. Leaks in the duct system can lead to considerable energy waste if not detected and stopped promptly. Let’s keep our eyes on reducing global warming and keeping our homes comfortable throughout the year. It makes sense to regularly monitor and repair ducts in order to save money on heating and cooling bills.
Consider Replacing Your Furnace
You may be surprised to learn that replacing your furnace can actually save you energy. The U.S. Department of Energy states that before you buy a new furnace, it makes sense to ensure your home is already efficient. If not, you will just be wasting money and harming the environment at the same time.
If your furnace is more than 15 years old, chances are it’s using a lot more energy than it needs to. When furnaces get this old, they become less efficient because their parts start to break down and wear out. They also tend to be less efficient because new models use new technology and techniques that help them use less fuel.
You can’t do anything about the price of electricity or gas, but you can take action to reduce the amount of energy you use. If your furnace is sucking energy, while being inefficient, then it’s time to upgrade it.
The equipment we use in our homes is important because they help us stay comfortable. When it’s time for a replacement, we want to know that whatever we buy will do the job well, keep going for years and not cost too much. Contact TCC for a free consultation and estimate!
Install insulation
One way to cut your heating and cooling costs is to upgrade the insulation of your home. Insulation keeps conditioned air in and unconditioned air out, which helps keep your home more comfortable and reduces the need for heating and cooling. Both of these tips can save you money.
Installing insulation saves you energy because it reduces your home’s heating and cooling needs by providing a barrier to the transfer of heat. The more heat you can keep out of your home in the summer, and retain inside during the winter, the less your HVAC system will have to work.
You can add insulation to your attic, basement, or crawl space, walls, floors, and ceilings. Adding insulation to these areas will help you maintain better indoor temperature control year-round, saving you money on heating and cooling costs.
The best type of insulation for your home can vary depending on where it will be installed. You should consult with a certified HVAC technician to determine which types would work best in your situation. For example, if you have an attic that is unfinished, you may be able to install fiberglass batts between the joists. Or, you could have blown-in cellulose installed. If you have an unfinished basement wall, you could have it sprayed with foam insulation from the inside. If any of these scenarios are a fit for your home, some contractors may even offer finance options to help get your project completed.
Energy Recovery Ventilators
The air inside your home may actually be more polluted than the air outside. If you’ve ever noticed dust or dirt inside your home even after cleaning, the problem may be due to stale indoor air that’s been recirculated too many times through your HVAC system. This is especially true if your home is tightly sealed against air leaks. The solution is to install an energy recovery ventilator (ERV). The ERV brings in fresh outdoor air while exhausting stale air from inside the home.
The reason why energy recovery ventilators are so efficient is that they use the heat that would have otherwise been lost when air is exhausted out of the building and apply it to the fresh air being brought in.
This process allows you to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home while ensuring that fresh air is being circulated throughout the property.
In addition to transferring heat between the exhaust and fresh air streams, many ERVs can also transfer humidity between the two streams. This helps ensure that humidity levels remain at a comfortable level even during hot summer months.
Because an ERV system maintains a healthy indoor environment without using as much energy, you’ll notice lower utility bills and increased comfort in your home.
Get regular check-ups and tune-ups
Regular HVAC maintenance can save you a lot of money on your energy bills. A well-maintained system runs more efficiently and lasts longer.
Schedule an annual inspection and maintenance before the start of each heating or cooling season. The technician will check for leaks, clean parts, and make sure everything is working properly. This simple step can make your HVAC last longer and perform better.
Need a professional check-up for your HVAC system? Contact us for a thorough inspection and diagnosis. Get your HVAC unit to perform at optimal efficiency today!
