Heating Efficiency: Four Ways to Help Your Furnace and Ductwork Do Their Job

If solutions existed that could maximize your heating efficiency, wouldn’t you want to know about them? Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical mission is to help homeowners stay comfortable and save money, and we don’t “hide” industry secrets from homeowners — we help them. With that in mind, here are four of our best tips to help you optimize the efficiency of your heating system for the ultimate in energy savings.

The ductwork in your home is prone to losing energy. Because it is comprised of a series of connected pipes, these connections can and will loosen over time. In fact, ductwork can lose up to 30 percent of conditioned air that travels through it, and is known as one of the most common contributors to energy losses, so taking action here can translate into significant savings.

The ducts in most homes should have dampers that you can manually adjust. Optimizing the position of the dampers will allow more or less air into your home. If you have rooms that are overly hot or cold, you can avoid energy losses by adjusting the dampers to provide precise amounts of heated air into each space.

The state of your return grilles is just as important as supply ducts. In fact, they are critical to creating an exact amount of return airflow back into the furnace to keep it running efficiently. In general, homes tend to have insufficient returns, so have a professional assess your home’s returns and make necessary adjustments.

Once your ducts are sealed, dampers adjusted, and cold-air returns upgraded, it’s time to work some magic with the thermostat. Setting the temperature low enough while maintaining comfort is a delicate balance, but you can expect, as a rule of thumb, a savings of one percent on energy bills if you turn down the thermostat by just one degree. Higher setbacks, obviously, get higher savings.

Level the playing field for heating efficiency by sealing ducts, using dampers, ensuring airflow return. Then, let your thermostat do the work! In the Greater Charlotte area, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical for help with all of your home needs.