With about 40 percent of your home’s energy bill going towards conditioning your air, trying to cut HVAC costs seems like the sensible thing to do. But there’s a lot of bad information out there, and if you think you’ve hit on a good home energy solution, it’s always a good idea to check your work. Be careful of these popular, but unhelpful tips and tricks:
- Buying an efficient appliance – any efficient appliance. Whether it’s on sale, refurbished, or secondhand, picking up an energy-efficient furnace or A/C can seem like a good idea. Energy-efficient appliances can save you a good chunk of change, but only when they’re sized to fit your home. An over-sized furnace or A/C can cause noticeable temperature swings in your home and cost you more money than an appropriately-sized traditional unit.
- Cranking the thermostat to change the temperature faster. If you’re try to warm or cool your home faster, cranking your thermostat past the desired setting may seem satisfying. But it won’t actually make your HVAC system deliver conditioned air any faster. It can, however, make your system work harder to maintain a temperature you don’t actually need.
- Leaving lights on to avoid the energy spike of turning them on. If you look at the amount of lights, computers and other electronics used in your home, you may notice a spike right when they turn on, which then settles into a lower baseline. The spike does exist – but it’s not as large as you might think, and it’s not enough to worry about. Turning electronics off still saves energy, initial spike or no.
- When you’re buying new, get ready to spend extra money. If you’re in the market for a new house, you might think that an energy-efficient home will cost more. Actually, because efficient homes can use smaller appliances and may be eligible for tax credits and other incentives, you might not have to pay extra.
If you’re looking for expert guidance in home energy solutions in the Warren, Tro, and Greater Detroit Metro area, contact Aladdin Heating & Cooling today!
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about home energy solutions and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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