Take These Simple Steps to Get the Most out of Your Home’s Energy Efficiency

Habitually having your HVAC system cleaned and tuned up could improve its performance and help reduce your costs because an HVAC system that’s well-maintained can use a great deal less energy than an HVAC system that is not. But what else can you do? Here are more manageable steps you can perform to revamp your Asheville home’s energy efficiency.

  1. Seal all leaks around your windows and doors. Add caulk or weatherstripping at the locations you notice leaks.
  2. Insulate your walls and attic. You might equate insulation with keeping your indoor space warm during the winter, but it also provides benefits in the summer. When it’s hot outside, heat is constantly seeking cooler places—like your home. Be sure you have enough insulation to keep the heat from flowing through your attic and walls and decreasing your home comfort.
  3. Have your ducts cleaned. Clean ducts make it easier for air to flow through your home, which makes your air conditioner’s job easier.
  4. While you’re at it, confirm your ducts are properly sealed to prevent air leaks and insulate them if needed. If they are leaking, you’re losing valuable heated or cooled air. Properly sealing and insulating ducts is even more important if they are placed in the attic, a vented crawlspace or any other unconditioned area.
  5. Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible throughout the summer. To help possibly keep your cooling bill cut down, keep the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures as low as possible. According to the Department of Energy, you can save up to 10% a year on heating and cooling by just turning your thermostat back 7° to 10°F from its typical setting for 8 hours a day. If you use a ceiling fan in conjunction with your air conditioner, you can raise your thermostat setting by about 4°F without negatively impacting your comfort.
  6. Install a programmable thermostat. Sure, thermostats can be adjusted by hand, but programmable thermostats make managing your home comfort and efficiency so easy. You can automatically regulate your temperature when you’re away from home or when you’re sleeping while avoiding discomfort because your home’s temperature will return to normal before you come home or wake up.
  7. If you decide not to use a programmable thermostat, avoid setting your thermostat at a colder-than-usual setting when you turn on your air conditioner. Your house won’t cool down any faster and will only cost you additional money in energy.
  8. Don’t place lamps, TV sets or other heat-generating appliances near your thermostat. This practice can make your air conditioner to run longer than needed because your thermostat senses heat from these appliances and assumes your home needs cooled.
  9. [Use|Utilize|Take advantage of]54] your windows. If it’s cooler at night, turn off your AC and open the windows. Shut the windows and your curtains or blinds in the morning to trap the cooler air and to hinder heat gain through the windows.
  10. Invest in new, energy-efficient equipment. If your HVAC equipment is more than 10 years old or not matching with your home-comfort needs, call 1st Choice Service Group Inc for an evaluation. It may be time to replace it with ENERGY STAR®-qualified equipment that can lower your annual energy bill by more than $115, according to energystar.gov.

If you’ve got more questions about how to improve your home’s energy efficiency, think it might be time for more energy-efficient equipment or simply want to make a regular maintenance appointment, call 1st Choice Service Group Inc at 828-551-2913 and our experts can help. If it’s simpler, schedule your appointment online using our online scheduler.