Increase Whole-House Energy Savings in 5 Quick and Easy Steps

When you approach energy savings in your house, there are a couple different paths you can take. You can focus on small tasks in each room that add up to energy savings, or you can think big. Consider these five quick and easy steps to maximize energy savings throughout your home.

1. Change your air filters.

Filters get clogged and dirty as they remove dust and other particles from the air. When this happens, your heating and cooling equipment has to work harder to blow air through, which eats up energy and drives up your utility bills. Changing your filters every one to three months eliminates this unnecessary expense. Filters may need to be changed more frequently during the peaks of the heating and cooling seasons.

2. Boost your insulation.

Insulation seals in heat in winter and helps keep your house cool in summer. Your whole house should be well insulated, but the attic is the most important area, since heat rises. Also consider insulating your ductwork to minimize heating and cooling losses.

3. Invest in preventative maintenance.

Stopping problems before they develop is much less expensive than trying to fix them later, and annual service is the best way to keep your heating and cooling appliances running efficiently.

4. Update your lighting.

If you still have old incandescent light bulbs in your house, they are wasting money and should be replaced. Fluorescent bulbs are much more energy efficient, and they also last longer. Of course, it goes without saying that turning off the lights when you leave a room is also essential to energy savings.

5. Install a programmable thermostat.

A programmable thermostat allows you to program a heating or cooling schedule that varies by time of day and from one day to the next, allowing you to save energy by using your furnace and air conditioner less when you don’t need them, like at night or when nobody’s home.

For more information on ways you can save energy in the Charlotte area, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical. We’ve been locally owned and operated since 1972.