When you looking to keep yourself warm during the cold season, you need to properly use the furnace. Here are some of the things you should know as given by HVAC companies:
Don’t close the vents and registers
Many people have the notion that by closing the vents and registers, they will save a lot of energy, but this isn’t the case. You should note that most of the modern homes use the forced-air heating systems that have the capability of detecting and balancing the pressure levels in each room. This ensures that the furnace distributes heat evenly.
When you close the vents and registers, you disturb the balance as you trigger the furnace to work harder in order to equalize the pressure. This not only leads to an increase in the amount of energy used, it also reduces the life of the furnace.
For you to save some energy and keep the furnace in top working condition all the time, you should keep the vents and registers open all the time. This calls for you to get rid of any furniture, rugs, books, and clothes that might block the vents and registers.
Insulate the windows
Did you know that you can save a lot of energy when you insulate the windows? When you stand next to a traditional window, you will notice that it tends to feel cold during winter and warm during summer.
This is usually due to heat transfers. During the fall and winter, un-insulated windows allow a lot of heat to escape the house and cool air to enter. This forces the furnace to work harder hence consuming a lot of energy. The unit also tends to have a short life.
You should keep more of the warm air in the house by insulating the windows. You only need to install a low-emissivity film on the windows. Ensure that the film has reflective properties.
If you have a large budget, consider upgrading the traditional windows to double or even triple pane windows. When installing the windows, ensure that they are installed by an expert.
Watch the thermostat settings
You need to be cautious of how you set your thermostat. Some people have the notion that by setting the thermostat at a high temperature, they will heat the house faster. There is nothing that is further from the truth than this.
You should note that furnaces heat spaces at the same rate, regardless of the temperature that you set the thermostat. When you set the thermostat at a high setting, the only thing you will have is a warm house. You won’t heat the house faster than normal.
Many people make the mistake of cranking up their thermostat settings with the hope that their houses will warm up fast. Don’t do this. Instead, set the thermostat at your desired temperature and the house will warm up slowly until you reach your ideal temperature.
Keep the thermostat settings low at night
While it’s unwise to raise the thermostat settings with the hope of warming up the house faster, there is nothing wrong with lowering the settings especially at night. When you are in bed and covering yourself, you don’t need a lot of heat.
You should maximize your energy savings by keeping the temperature settings around 68 degrees Fahrenheit. For you to have an easy time controlling the temperature in your home, invest in a programmable thermostat.
You should note that lowering the temperature doesn’t make the furnace work harder than it should. As long as there isn’t a high demand for heat in the house, lowering the settings will save you a lot of energy in the long run.
A high-efficiency furnace isn’t the solution to everything
When many people are having issues with their furnaces, they only think about replacing them. You should note that you don’t have to always replace the furnace with a better version for you to save energy.
There are plenty of other ways to increase the efficiency of your unit:
Winter not only comes with cold, it also comes with high energy bills. Did you know you don’t have to spend a lot of money to keep your house warm? Here are tricks given by heating service repair professionals that you can use to your advantage:
Keep the thermostat settings low
Did you know you save 3 percent of your heating bill for every degree you lower over a period of 24 hours? You can imagine the amount of energy you will save by keeping your thermostat setting low the entire heating season.
Most people keep their thermostat settings at 68 during the day and 55 at night. For you to save energy you should lower this temperature when you aren’t in the house or sleeping.
You can still keep the setting low even during the rest of the time, but you should have an extra layer of clothing. For example, wear a warm sweater, thick socks, thick socks or slippers that will keep you warm the rest of the time.
For you to have an easy time controlling your temperature, make use of a programmable thermostat.
Heat your home in zones
If you have a large house, unless you have a lot of people over, you don’t use all of the rooms. Why waste money heating the rooms you aren’t using? To save money, only heat the areas you are currently using. For example, when you are in the sitting room, use a small furnace or any other heating unit to heat only that room.
When you move to the bedroom, move with your portable heating appliance or set the system to only heat that room. If you diligently observe this trick, you will find yourself saving a lot of money at the end of the month.
Turn down the heat at night
At night, you are sleeping and you are most likely covered with blankets. This means that you don’t need a lot of heat. Due to this, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to keep your house warm.
Once your family goes to bed, put heavy blankets on their beds and turn down the thermostat settings. You should turn it down as much as you can.
Use ceiling fans
Most people use ceiling fans to keep their houses cool, but did you know that you can also use them to keep the house warm? When you turn on the fan, you move the warm air down from the ceiling thus keeping you warm. Do you have a house with high ceilings? This is a very helpful trick.
Keep the heating system in top shape
You will spend a lot of money heating your house if you don’t properly maintain your heating system. The cool thing is that it’s very easy to do it. One of the things you should do is to regularly clean the air filters.
You don’t need to hire a professional to help you with the cleaning. All you need to do is to open their compartment and clean them. It’s common to find the filters too dirty or damaged. In such a scenario, you should replace them with better, higher quality pieces.
Before the heating season begins, you should ask a heating system tune-up professional to inspect your unit to determine whether it’s in good condition for the upcoming task.
If the heating season lasts a few months, in the middle of the season you should consider hiring a professional to inspect the unit and repair any faulty parts.
Get rid of an old appliance
Just like an old car, an old heating unit will consume a lot of heat. If your heating appliance is more than 10 years, you should consider getting another before the heating season begins. When buying the new unit, go for a high-quality one with a high energy rating.
Let the sun in
It’s common for most people to keep the windows closed during winter. While there is nothing wrong with protecting yourself from the cold, you should consider opening the windows especially when the sun is up.
HVAC companies McLean observe that by doing so, you keep the house warm thus you don’t need to use the heating appliances.
While some homeowners prefer installing furnaces to keep their houses warm, others go for heat pumps. Heat pumps come with a number of benefits. One is that they are energy efficient. Since they don’t generate heat, they spend little energy which means a small energy bill at the end of the month.
You can also use them to heat the house and in summer, you use them to keep the house cool. For you to keep the heat pumps in top shape, you should take good care of them. Here are tips on how to do it as given by heat pump repair professionals:
Pay attention to the outdoor unit
Everything begins here. You need to ensure that the outdoor unit is clean all the time. Remove all the debris from the unit. This calls for you to get rid of the debris from the condenser or compressor.
You can use your hands or use a vacuum cleaner to do it. Experts also recommend that you spray the unit with a garden hose and you will remove the dirt, debris, and grass clippings that might be there.
You might have come across information that you can use a pressure washer to clean the unit. Don’t do it as the pressure washer will bend the coil fins.
In addition to cleaning the unit, you also need to check the wiring connections and ensure that they are tight and in good condition.
Is there overgrown foliage and outdoor debris outside your unit? This can prevent your heat pump from functioning optimally; therefore, you should get rid of them. Trim plants and trees that are close to the outdoor unit.
By doing this you ensure there is optimal air distribution thus your unit functions better.
Don’t ignore the indoor unit
Paying attention to the indoor unit isn’t enough. You also need to pay attention to the indoor unit. Clean the blower wheel. Is this the first time you are coming across this term? The blower wheel is located inside the indoor unit.
To access it you need to remove the drain panel that has flaps that open and close. You should then loosen the coil vent and gently pull out the blower wheel. Carefully clean the wheel with a garden hose.
Once you are done, return the wheel into the unit. When returning the wheel, ensure that you insert back all the screws that you would have removed. Be cautious and ensure that you return all of them at their right places as failure to do so will lead to an improperly installed unit.
You also should pay attention to the thermostat. Is it properly set? If not, recalibrate it. You also should check whether its level. Remember that if its off center, it can alter with the accuracy of the internal component; therefore, ensure that its level.
Finally, check whether the thermostat is too old. Has it been developing problems lately? Is it noisy when working? If it has been having these issues, it’s time that you considered replacing it.
Swap the air filters
Just like your furnace, you need to pay attention to the air filters for your unit to continue functioning optimally. The purpose of the air filters is to allow air to flow within the system. Due to its location, the air filter tends to collect a lot of dirt which restricts air flow.
When there is restricted airflow, the heat pump can’t function optimally. At least once a month, inspect the air filters. If they are dirty, clean them. In some cases, the air filters are too dirty to the extent that you can’t clean them. In such a scenario, you have no way out other than to replace them.
When getting new units ensure that the new ones are of high quality. They also should be of the right size for your unit.
Getting new air filters not only increases the unit’s efficiency levels, it also lengthens its lifespan as it doesn’t work too hard.
Undertake regular inspections
At least once a year, hire heat pump repair service Arlington VA providers to inspect the unit and fix any issues it might be having. For ideal services, ensure the contractors are experienced and certified to work in your local area.
Is it the right time to pay for a heat pump repair? Or it may be a better idea if you just dump the home heating repair and prefer heat pump replacement? Those questions are hard to answer by home owners who have not got enough knowledge on the subject area and even got no skill in regard to repair work and some sort of similar projects.
Therefore, the only possible and best advice for problems in your home heating system is calling for a professional team to look out your heating unit. Note that once your heating system runs a problem, you can be in a terrible panic, especially during cold days.
So, here are guidelines to get you the right HVAC company.
Check Their Licenses
You should be aware of so many selections of HVAC contractors offering their best services to their customers. From these varied options, you must check their quality carefully. One of the great ways to get the access is through their license. Those contractors with license have passed the requirements regulated by the cities, states or municipalities in regard to their performance.
The licenses can be various, ranged from basic repair competence to plumber’s license as some heating systems may require plumbing repair or installment. By having been told with this information, you can at least make sure that the ones you hire are pro in furnace repair.
Go Through Their References
Please do not mind to spend some of your time to do a little research in regard to particular HVAC company you are hiring. This can be related to their past customers who have hired them. Try to verify the quality of the contractor to their earlier customers. Their customers’ satisfaction could be a sign of their good work.
Examine Their Pricing
Before deciding to trust your gas furnace repair to an HVAC contractor, remember to put their pricing in details. Ask them about how much the repair would cost and how much it will be added up if additional cost must be charged. This one also deals with the scope of work along with the details which should be stated out clearly in the document.
Talk About The Insurance
Knowing that the repair project is insured will be much more relieving for customers. This has to be stated explicitly in the beginning if you want to hire a professional to get you heat pump repaired. Heating unit repair long beach ny can be a long tiring process to undergo, but if you can give the job to pros, you should not worry.
When temperature drops, the last thing you want to think is to be caught in home with furnace, which needs furnace repair. Most homeowners pay little or no attention to furnace, as this appliance rarely comes in use, but negligence is not the best option. In fact, the best thing you can do for your furnace is schedule an annual inspection.
Do You Really Need an Annual Furnace Inspection?
If you want your heating system to work efficiently for a good number of years to come, hiring HVAC technician for annual inspection is the best option. There are many genuine benefits of furnace inspection, such as:
Prolong the life of your heating system
Increase the energy efficiency of your furnace
Reveal the carbon monoxide leak
Decrease the risk of health issues
Make your furnace safe
What to expect during furnace inspection?
Furnaces are unpredictable appliances and are required to be inspected annually as they contain several components to help warm your home. During an annual furnace inspection, here is what you can expect:
The ventilation system will be checked for leaks and blocks.
Fresh air intake grills will be checked for blockages.
The heat exchanger will be inspected for corrosion and rust.
Combustion gases will be analyzed and fitted according to specification of unit.
Burner will be analyzed for proper flame, flame sense and ignition.
The blower wheel will be checked for debris and cleaned if required.
Amp-draw test will be done on the blower motor.
All wiring and circuit connections will be checked.
Furnace inspection, cleaning and repair is really very important for safety and integrity of your heating unit. You should always consider annual furnace inspection before you start using your furnace.
Furnace is a complicated heating appliance. Without any knowledge and experience, you should not jump into DIY furnace work. You might end up by damaging your furnace or hurting yourself. You should always consider hiring a reputable and trustworthy furnace repair technician for this purpose. The technicians have sheer knowledge about furnace inspection and repair. A professional inspection can provide safety assurance and you need not have to worry about furnace issues in the near future.
