3 Most Common Causes of HVAC Energy Waste

Sep 25, 2018

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Good housekeeping goes beyond simply dusting surfaces and mopping your floors. For your home in Gilmer, Texas, to feel comfortable, all of its components need to be in good working order. Your home’s HVAC system is a critical part of maintaining comfortable temperatures throughout in your house. To maintain your ideal level of comfort, you also need to ensure that your home’s HVAC system isn’t wasting energy. Discover how dirty air filters, clogged ducts and poor airflow can result in HVAC energy waste.

Dirty Air Filters

Dirty air filters in your home’s HVAC system aren’t something to take lightly. Filthy coils, caused by low-quality and dirty air filters, will impede the proper operation of your system. When your system can’t perform the way it should, it’ll face expensive breakdowns and a shortened lifespan. Additionally, you’ll also deal with higher energy bills as the HVAC system continually cycles on and off in order to maintain comfortable temperatures inside your home.

Regularly replacing or cleaning the air filters inside your HVAC system allows it to operate at peak efficiency. The change of seasons offers an ideal time to remind yourself to replace the air filters. Remember to replace your HVAC system’s air filter at least every 90 days.

Clogged Ductwork

The ducts in your home are responsible for transferring heat and cool air to the rooms of your house. Clogged or improperly maintained ductwork can inhibit the free movement of air and cause inadequate heating or cooling inside your home. As a result, you may find yourself adjusting your home’s thermostat to correct temperature issues that occur inside your home. Ultimately, though, the frequent thermostat adjustments only force your HVAC system to use more energy than necessary to maintain comfortable temperatures.

Every two to five years, ask an HVAC professional certified by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association to inspect your home’s ductwork for blockages. People who smoke in their homes and individuals who have pets should have their ducts inspected for problems more often. Regular inspections will also help to identify any issues within the ductwork that could turn into expensive repairs later.

Poor Airflow

If you own an older home and your rooms have grates or grilles in the floors or walls, your house is likely served by a forced-air HVAC system. With this type of system, conditioned air enters the rooms of your home through ductwork and returns to the HVAC system through return vents.

Older homes with these types of forced-air systems can experience problems with poor airflow throughout the house. In rooms without return vents, closing doors to rooms doesn’t give the air a chance to return to the HVAC system. When the air can’t return to the system, the return-supply cycle gets disrupted. As a result, it’ll force the system to work harder. You’ll experience uneven heating or cooling in some areas of the house and drafts in others, not to mention wasted energy and higher utility bills.

To deal with vent issues, you can trim doors by about an inch so they don’t completely seal off a room. Adding a jumper duct, which runs from a room without vents to a return vent, can also help to increase the efficiency of airflow from the room to the HVAC system. Installing additional return vents is another energy-efficient solution you may want to consider.

Properly maintaining your home’s HVAC system is an important step toward making your home and family feels comfortable. It’s also the best way to prevent HVAC energy waste. JD’s A/C can give you the best in service and installation for all models of HVAC equipment. Contact us today by calling (903) 759-7483.

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