How To Avoid Expensive Energy Bills This Winter With HVAC Maintenance
The winter season brings with it both fun moments spent outside with friends and family as well as bitter cold days spent indoors trying to stay warm. When temperatures drop outside, you want to make sure your house remains warm inside without having to pay outrageous energy bills. Too often, people put off optimizing their heating systems until the temperatures drop, and they are faced with overly expensive heating bills. The good news is, there are several things people can do before temperatures drop below freezing to prepare their homes and spare their wallets.
Call The Experts
Schedule routine maintenance on your HVAC system before it gets really cold outside. A clean and well-maintained heating system can improve efficiency and save you a bundle. If you haven’t had your HVAC system serviced in more than one year, schedule maintenance right away—your system may not be as efficient as it could be, meaning higher utility bills. Not only will your HVAC technician clean and service your heating system, but they can also provide information on steps you can take to winterize your home, as well as suggest upgrades to more efficient systems, which over time can reduce power consumption and decrease your monthly electricity bill while keeping your family warm and cozy all winter long!
Seal Those Leaks!
You lose a lot of heat through cracks around windows and doors during cold weather. If you are letting warm air escape, you might as well be throwing money out the window! Every air leak means that your furnace or heat pump has to work harder and longer, driving up your utility costs. Small leaks may not seem like a big deal, but if they’re occurring around doors and windows, they can account for 20 to 30 percent of your heating bill in winter. Check along walls, floors, attics, basements, and crawl spaces for areas where warm air is escaping. Air leaks can be resolved with a variety of products readily available at your local hardware store. Products such as weatherstripping, caulk, expanding foam sealant, and door sweeps, to name a few, are relatively easy DIY projects that won’t break the bank. By sealing your home’s air leaks, you can potentially reduce your heating bills by as much as 30%!
Regular System Cleaning
Making sure your system gets cleaned on a regular basis can keep it operating at peak efficiency. This, in turn, keeps your utility bill down and can increase the life of your equipment. If you don’t clean out your heating system, dust and debris can build up, causing major issues that are costly to repair. Scheduling a maintenance visit yearly will help keep your equipment functioning properly, minimize breakdowns, and ensure you stay comfortable all year long.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late!
A few simple tasks will keep your system operating efficiently and effectively, ensuring you aren’t spending more than you have to for heat. In addition, it’s important that you schedule service before something goes wrong! When problems arise, they can be dangerous and inconvenient—not to mention extremely costly. Below freezing temperatures are very hard on a home, and having a heating system that is properly functioning is crucial to not only warm you and your family but to help keep your house from experiencing problems, such as pipe bursts, that can be extremely expensive to repair.
The Final Word
A few simple tasks will keep your heating system operating efficiently and effectively, ensuring you aren’t spending more than you have to for heat this winter. First, don’t forget to seal the leaks to help keep the cold out and the heat in. Ensure your heating system is cleaned and maintained by contacting your local HVAC experts. At Lancaster Brothers, we have been installing and servicing HVAC systems in the Kansas City area for over 20 years! Give us a call today at (913) 851-3399 to schedule your heating system maintenance and for all of your heating and cooling needs.
By completing these simple steps, you’ll rest assured that your heating system will be running efficiently, saving you money on utility bills, and helping to avoid breakdowns when outdoor temperatures are at their worst. So grab a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy a warm and cozy winter!