Did you know that over 50% of the the average family home’s energy costs are associated with heating and cooling, according to the Department of Energy?
With our chilly Colorado winters, that figure comes as little surprise—if you’ve hit the 50% mark or higher, there’s no doubt that your wallet is going to feel it. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reduce your heating bill in Colorado without sacrificing your comfort. With a little effort and some planning ahead, you can enjoy some pretty significant energy cost savings this winter.
Let’s start with the most important task, which also happens to be something the pros at Best Buy Heating and Air can help you with no matter how cold it is outside:
First Things First: Get an Annual HVAC Inspection
If you’ve been following our blog, you know we’re big fans of preventative maintenance. It’s a very good idea to get an HVAC inspection about once per year—an inspection gives you the opportunity to thwart problems before the cold season starts.
Annual inspections also often save you a good bit of money, since problems won’t have the opportunity to get worse over time (and thus potentially more expensive to repair). Furthermore, we can give you energy saving tips more specific to your home in lieu of the more general advice in this post.
If you’re a little overdue on this year’s inspection of your HVAC system, make sure to use our simple online service request form so we can get the ball rolling.
Balance Your Air Flow With These Easy Tips
Earlier this year we published an entire post on the topic of air balancing: Prevent Hot and Cold Spots With These Easy DIY Air Balancing Techniques.
Make sure to give it a read if you’re experiencing some areas of the house that are warmer or colder than others. For example, if your bedroom feels like a sauna but you want to wear mittens every time you go to the living room, you probably need to do a little air balancing. By doing so, you’ll save money on your energy bill because you won’t have to use more energy to heat areas that are unnecessarily colder than the rest of the house.
Check For Vent Obstructions
If there’s anything blocking a vent, your heating system will have to work harder and thus use more energy. First, check your filters. If they’re dirty, replace them. Then do a quick check throughout the house to make sure that no furniture or objects are blocking the vent openings.
However, keep in mind that sometimes vent obstructions aren’t necessarily visible. Blockages could could be in the ducts themselves, not to mention the possibility of leaks. If it’s been a few years since your last duct inspection, consider having one done—our inspectors are capable of locating and repairing leaks, identifying and removing moisture to prevent mold growth, and repair or replace insulation, all of which will lead to a reduced energy bill.
Reverse Your Ceiling Fans
Most ceiling fans have a switch on them somewhere to change the direction of the fan. By reversing your fan (i.e., blowing air upwards), you can create an updraft which will help to circulate the warmest air near the ceiling and distribute it more evenly throughout the entire room. Remember, heat rises, so that’s why this works so well. For the best energy savings, run your ceiling fan on low only when someone is occupying the room.
Schedule Your Thermostat Properly for Big Savings
Here’s another fun statistic from the Department of Energy: if you lower your thermostat by about 10-15 degrees for only eight hours daily, you can enjoy upwards of 10% energy savings every winter. That’s huge!
Consider scheduling your thermostat to a lower temperature during the hours that everyone is at work or school. Set it to raise the temperature back up to normal about 30 minutes before everyone arrives back home and nobody will even notice the difference.
Additionally, consider scheduling your temperature a few degrees lower while you sleep at night, since you’re likely to be warm under the covers anyway.
Best Buy is Here to Help All Winter Long
We have a long winter ahead of us. If you haven’t had your annual HVAC check up yet or if you encounter any problems along the way, we’d love to hear from you so we can help. Our trained staff will answer your questions and offer professional assistance with anything we can.
The easiest way to get start on setting an appointment is to use our easy service request form. You’re also more than welcome to give us a ring at (970) 218-0414.
Stay warm out there!