Unfortunately, most people believe at least one myth about fall and winter HVAC usage. These HVAC and energy mistakes can contribute to higher energy bills and make your Harrison, Ohio, household a less comfortable place.
Warming up the House Too Fast
You get home before your programmable thermostat has told the heater to warm up the house. You’re freezing, so you turn the thermostat up from 68 to 75 degrees to get the house warm faster. Don’t. The furnace heats the house at the same rate no matter what the thermostat says. What you’re doing is simply asking it to stay on longer. It would have turned off when the house reached 68 degrees. Now it will stay on longer to achieve 75 degrees, which wastes energy.
Saving Energy by Turning off the Furnace
You need to keep the house partially warm at night or when you’re away. If the furnace has to start from scratch and heat a house that’s below freezing or close to it, it’ll be on for a very long time indeed. The amount of energy you’re using to power the furnace for so long will negate any savings you think you made by turning it off. Turn it down 8 to 10 degrees while you’re sleeping, or while you’re away, and let it stay there.
Ignoring Your Air Filter
The air filter is an important part of your HVAC system all year round. Even if you think the furnace runs less often than the AC, or that you barely use your HVAC in fall, the filter still needs to be changed. Keep to your schedule and stock up on extra filters so this chore is easy to do when the filter change day rolls around every month or two.
Skipping maintenance is another mistake, because it can lead to system failure on a freezing cold night. Nobody wants to deal with that, so get a Western Hills Heating and Air Conditioning technician out ASAP. Call us at 812-227-3001 to schedule your appointment.
Image provided by Shutterstock
