The fall is well and truly here, and winter isn’t too far behind. If you haven’t already, you are probably getting set to switch your heating on for the season. Before you do check out these seven simple HVAC tweaks and checks that will not only help you stay cozier this winter but save money too!
Clear Up Summer Debris
Many residents of the Kansas City Metro have heat pumps and air conditioners outside their homes, and fall is a great time to check for any sort of debris that has built up during the summer around the units.
By doing so you’ll help to ensure that the components have enough ventilation for optimum output when you need it most by removing any leaves, grass, or garbage from the vicinity of these outdoor devices.
Check Your Settings
If you have a programmable thermostat, now is the perfect time to make the required changes to ensure that when the outdoor temperatures begin to cool, you stay cozy. This will also prevent your air conditioning or heat pump machine from working more than it should, and your heating and cooling costs will drop too.
Don’t have a thermostat to set and forget about? Fall is a wonderful time to upgrade to a programmable thermostat and the perfect time to have it professionally installed to ensure that it functions correctly from day one.
Do Some Fall Cleaning Around the House
You may wonder what HVAC maintenance has to do with good housekeeping and how it could be an HVAC tweak. Although it is always essential to keep your home free of dust and allergens, fall is a perfect time to deep clean your home. Think of it as reverse Spring cleaning and one of the best HVAC tweaks to help keep your family healthier!
Why healthier? Because doing so will minimize the amount of dirt, dust, and debris that your HVAC system cycles through when your home is closed off from fresh air and more tightly sealed during the winter, resulting in cleaner, fresher air that will still be a pleasure to breathe in.
Check Your Attic Insulation
Lightening the load is one of the best ways to help your HVAC system run at peak efficiency.
Insulating the attic of your home sufficiently keeps hot air in the home and stops it from escaping outside. This makes it possible for your HVAC system to do less and yet maintain the correct temperature of the house.
A simple visual inspection will determine whether the home’s attic is properly insulated, per EnergyStar.gov. The insulation in the attic should, according to their advice, be high enough to block the view of the floor joists.
If this is the case, there would be little or no gain from additional insulation. If it’s not then adding more is a sensible – and not too difficult – fall home maintenance task to undertake now before it’s too cold in your attic to do so!
Change Your Filter
If it’s been a few months since you changed your HVAC filter, it’s a good time to replace it now, as the seasons change, particularly if you have people living in your home with breathing disorders or allergies. This is the simplest and safest way to ensure that during the coming winter months, your HVAC equipment works properly and efficiently.
Consider Replacing Ancient HVAC Elements
It is a costly proposition to upgrade the home’s HVAC system, but if the system is old and outdated, the added comfort and financial benefits of a new system can also be very real.
Ask a service technician’s opinion on the longevity of your system if your system is more than 10 years old. By replacing it with a new high-efficiency model, the US Energy Department states you could reduce your home’s annual energy bill by as much as 20-40 percent.
Call Your HVAC Professional
Finally, for a fall maintenance appointment, make sure to contact your friendly HVAC maintenance professional. Some HVAC systems , especially gas-powered furnaces, require the expertise of a highly qualified technician to perform critical maintenance tasks. He or she can ensure that all of your HVAC equipment is clean and working properly during a seasonal inspection.