Skip to main content

How Your HVAC Unit Affects Your Power Bill

Once a month, you’ll be faced with an unpleasant surprise in your mailbox: the power bill! No matter how careful you are about turning off the lights or how much you budget for the bill, it can still catch you off guard. 

Besides being an unwelcome note from the electric or gas company, your bill can also give you a heads up about your HVAC system and what may be causing the continual price hikes. Read on to learn more about what your HVAC system is trying to tell you. 

Give Your HVAC Some Love 

If you notice that your power bill is slowly increasing every month when nothing else is changing in your home, it’s time to go straight to the source. HVAC systems need regular, annual maintenance to ensure that they are functioning properly. We can’t expect our HVAC systems to do all the work in maintaining comfortable temperatures without giving them anything back in return! Schedule a little TLC for your system to make sure it’s not overworking or burning out while trying to heat or cool your home. 

Think About Personal Enhancements 

We do all we can to look and feel our best, so we should be returning the favor to our HVAC systems. You can add a programmable thermostat that makes your system run more efficiently and on a better schedule to keep your home comfortable while saving your money. You could also consider new fans, compressors, or heat exchanges and your HVAC will thank you for the upgrades by running better. It’s a win-win for everyone. 

Consider Retirement 

Just like us, HVAC systems want to quit working the daily grind at some point. As they age, they slow down and have to work harder to maintain comfort in your home, causing an increase in your power bill. Instead of waiting until your HVAC system quits working, consider retiring it and replacing it with a new energy-efficient model. Another thing to consider is whether your systems uses HCFC-22, or freon, as a refrigerant. On January 1, 2020, freon will be banned from being used for AC units. So, speak with an HVAC specialist to see if the system uses freon and, if it does, you’ll need to upgrade to a new system. 

Make Individual Changes

If you’ve upgraded or replaced your HVAC system and notice that your power bill is still higher than normal, it’s time for some personal reflection. Maybe everyone in your home could be better about turning off the lights or unplugging unused electronics. Perhaps it’s time to lower the thermostat and start wearing layers in the winter instead of blasting the heat. During nicer weather, you can open the windows for a cooling breeze instead of running the AC.  We can’t blame our HVAC for raising the bills if we aren’t willing to do our part to bring the power bill down as well. 

What to Do Next 

If you’re feeling down about the rise of your power bill, just remember that your HVAC system might be crying out for help. Whether its asking for a little maintenance love, some performance upgrades, or needs to be upgraded to a new system, your HVAC will tell you what it needs through your power bill. 

Do you need an HVAC professional to help you understand your system’s needs? Reach out to a local professional to find out how to make your HVAC, your power bill, and your wallet happier. 

 

The post How Your HVAC Unit Affects Your Power Bill appeared first on Freshome.com.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SKÅDIS: 5 ways to make the IKEA pegboard even better

IKEA introduced its own pegboard system, SKÅDIS, two years ago and I’d say it’s one of the best systems IKEA launched in recent years. I love how super customisable it is, with a growing range of accessories that help keep things organized. It works everywhere, in your wardrobe to bathroom . Probably anywhere you have a flat surface to hang it up. Photo: IKEA.com SKÅDIS pegboard system See it on IKEA.com But no matter how perfect a system, you can trust IKEA hackers to improve on the SKÅDIS. And they’ve settle these 5 issues you may have faced with the handy IKEA pegboard. Read on for their fixes. 5 IKEA SKÅDIS issues and fixes #1 Expensive hooks? You’ll need quite a number of hooks and accessories to fill up the SKÅDIS pegboard, and Kenyer was shocked at how quickly they all added up. So he figured he could make his own hooks to save cost. Photo: Kenyer Over at Instructables , he shows us how to twist copper wires into the SKÅDIS hook shape. It works s...
Post a Comment
Read more

Enjoy Sweet Dreams With These DIY Headboard Ideas

A headboard is one of the last things you see before you fall asleep and one of the first things you see when you wake up. Demonstrate your unique design style by creating your own. Below are some ideas and tips to get you started. Do you think the formula for sleep is on this London bedroom’s headboard? Image: Clifton Interiors Ltd Chalk headboard Create this look with a can of black chalkboard paint. Almost any type of wall – drywall, plaster, wood, brick or concrete – will work, as long is it is properly prepped. Chalkboard paint is easy to apply, dries fast and can be cleaned with soap and water. But you’re not limited to the color black – chalkboard paint comes in just about every color. If you don’t want to use paint, consider chalkboard contact paper – and yes, you can use chalk on it. An Edmonton hockey-themed room. Image: Cameron Homes Hockey goal headboard For the ultimate hockey fan, nothing beats a hockey goal headboard. Complete the scene with a team blank...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sliding Bookcase Doors KALLAX hack to divide your rooms

I replaced single-glazed sliding doors that divided the sitting room and dining room with a sliding KALLAX bookcase. For one “door”, I used two 2×2 cubes and one 2×1 unit. As we already owned 4 separate KALLAX 2×2 cubes and they seemed to be exactly the same width as the internal doors, we thought it might be possible to stack them. With one additional 2×1 KALLAX they almost matched the height of the internal doors. Sliding KALLAX bookcase doors in closed position First, still a work in progress but let us show you how it looks from the dining room, when the units are pushed together to close up the doorway. And the units pushed apart to enter the living room. We can access the storage cubes from both sides — from the dining or living room — which is so very useful. What I like most is, when viewed from the living room, when closed, it looks almost like a built-in unit. IKEA item used: 2×2 KALLAX units x 4 1×2 KALLAX units x 2 Other materials: 3M mounting tape...
2 comments
Read more