No family wants to be uncomfortable in their own home. Like most homeowners, you probably rely on a heating and cooling system to maintain your comfort even when outside temperatures are uncomfortable. Unfortunately, you might also find yourself faced with hefty bills in order to meet your comfort demands. While it’s not possible to eliminate all costs associated with heating and cooling your space, taking a whole-home approach to energy efficiency can do wonders when it comes to reducing utility costs and meeting your comfort needs.
Is Your Home Energy Efficient?
The first step in identifying ways to improve the overall efficiency of your home is to take time to evaluate how your home uses energy. You’ll need to check the efficiency ratings for your current heating and air conditioning equipment. Of course, you’ll also need to consider how other factors impact whole-home efficiency. Take time to look around your home or ask a professional to inspect for:
- Leaks around doors and windows.
- Leaks in ductwork.
- Tears or holes in window screens.
- Drafts caused by structural issues.
- Energy loss caused by insufficient or absent insulation.
It’s a good idea to have a home energy audit conducted by an HVAC professional if you’ve noticed significant increases in your utility bills without changing your heating and cooling system use patterns. You should also consider an energy evaluation if you’ve noticed drafts in your home or have difficulties keeping spaces evenly cooled and heated. While you can complete many basic inspection tasks on your own, it’s best to have a pro inspect ductwork and estimate the total volume of treated air wasted by your home.
Getting the Most Out of Your HVAC System
Once you have a complete understanding of your home’s overall energy efficiency, you can take steps to boost efficiency and cut down on utility bills. Your choices might include updating your HVAC system or having an entirely new system you installed. It’s also essential to:
- Have ductwork repaired if air leaks are present.
- Address leaks around doors and windows.
- Repair and patch any broken or damaged window screens or storm windows.
- Consider adding more insulation to attic space
- Consider installing an indoor air quality improvement system if your space suffers from poor air circulation.
- Consider updating your home’s windows to an energy-efficient glass.
Making energy-efficient improvements to your home may seem like a significant financial burden. However, it’s important to remember that investing in efficiency today can spell big savings in the future. After all, choosing an efficient HVAC system and making repairs to your home can help cut down on energy use while allowing you to preserve a high level of comfort. Your contractor can better help you understand how different improvements will impact your comfort and your pocketbook.
The professionals at Kearney & Sons Heating & Air Conditioning know that we are not comfortable until you are. Please call us or drop by today to learn more about how we can help you meet your whole-home efficiency needs.
