As the holidays approach, it typically means two things. One is that the weather’s turning colder. The other is that there will soon be guests arriving. As a result, your home’s comfort takes on extra importance. Even in our warmer Arizona climate, if you don’t want to break the bank this winter, you must find ways to increase your heating efficiency. Here are eight great tips to help you do that.
1. Get a Heating System Tune-up
The best way to keep your holiday heating bills low is to schedule a tune-up for your heating system. If you have a gas furnace, it may lose up to 5% of its efficiency every year without maintenance. It happens as your system suffers wear and tear and its components get dirty. During a maintenance visit, our HVAC technicians will inspect your heating system and make any necessary adjustments. They’ll also clean your furnace’s major components and lubricate its moving parts. If necessary, they’ll even calibrate your home’s thermostat. That can help ensure that your heating system only turns on when required, avoiding energy waste.
2. Upgrade to a Smart Thermostat
If your home has a conventional or programmable thermostat, consider upgrading to a smart thermostat. Doing so can give you an immediate heating efficiency upgrade. According to the Department of Energy, an ENERGY STAR-certified smart thermostat can trim your heating bills by 8%. If you purchase a more advanced model, you could save even more than that. According to smart thermostat manufacturer Nest, its models can cut your heating bills by up to 12%. Ecobee, another smart thermostat manufacturer, says its models can save you up to 26%. Savings like that are sufficient to pay for your smart thermostat upgrade within a single heating season.
3. Perform Some Air Sealing
Keeping cold air outside will reduce your heating demand significantly. You can do that by performing some basic air sealing on your home. To begin, install weather stripping on your home’s exterior doors and windows. Then, examine the outside of your house, looking for any gaps that may allow cold air inside. For small gaps, a little bit of all-weather caulk should be enough to seal them. If you find any large gaps, expanding foam should do the trick. After that, look at the inside of your home’s exterior walls. Pay close attention to the seams around your windows. If you see any gaps there, caulk them. You may also want insulation around your exterior wall electrical outlets to keep cold air out.
4. Use Ceiling Fans Strategically
It may seem counterintuitive to use your ceiling fans in the winter. However, by running them in reverse, you can reduce your demand for heat. It works because heat rises. That means much of your furnace’s heat ends up near your ceilings, where it does no good. Using your ceiling fans in reverse pushes that heat down where you need it. It can reduce how often your heating system comes on without sacrificing comfort.
5. Upgrade Your Attic Insulation
Another way you can increase your heating efficiency is to upgrade your home’s attic insulation. If your home is like most in the area, it likely lacks sufficient insulation. Fortunately, it’s simple to add blown-in attic insulation to fix the problem. You generally want attic insulation with at least an R-value of 38 for best results. That can prevent much of your home’s heat loss during the cooler months.
6. Have Your Ductwork Serviced
If you have a ducted HVAC system, its ducts could be an Achilles heel. According to experts, the average HVAC system may waste as much as 40% of its energy via ductwork losses. Most of those losses happen due to air leaks that let conditioned air escape where it shouldn’t. Having your ductwork inspected and, if necessary, repaired is the best way to prevent those losses. You should also know that the ductwork in the average home only lasts about 25 years before needing replacement. Even though replacing your ductwork is a big job, it may pay for itself in energy savings.
7. Use Your Kitchen Strategically
During the holidays, you may use your kitchen more often than usual. You can capitalize on that to lower your heating bills. To do so, you must remember a few things during and after cooking. When cooking, turn your HVAC system fan on instead of putting it on auto. That will distribute the heat produced by your kitchen appliances around your home. Then, when done, leave your oven door ajar. That will allow accumulated heat to escape so that your HVAC system can move it elsewhere in your home. Just switch your HVAC system’s fan back to auto within an hour or two of finishing cooking.
8. Consider Upgrading to a Heat Pump
Finally, you can upgrade your home’s heating system to a more efficient one to save money during the holidays. The best option in that regard is an air-source heat pump. It works best in mild winter climates like ours. In heating mode, a heat pump collects already-existing heat energy from the outdoor air to heat your home. As a result, it can operate at efficiencies approaching 400% for most of the winter. When you consider our area’s lower-than-average electricity costs, that adds up to serious savings. Plus, you can pair a heat pump with a rooftop solar power system for even more savings. Heat pumps also serve as a cooling solution, too. So, when you upgrade to one, you’ll also benefit from efficient cooling in the summer.
If you want to supercharge your heating savings, you might consider installing a geothermal heat pump. They’re even more efficient than air-source models. Geothermal systems rely on buried refrigerant loops rather than the open air. Underground, colder, or warmer outdoor temperatures have little effect. As a result, a geothermal system will remain highly efficient year-round. The only downsides to geothermal heat pumps are their upfront costs and space requirements.
Installing the requisite refrigerant loops can cost tens of thousands of dollars and requires plenty of room on your property. If money and space are no object, however, there’s no more efficient heating and cooling solution on the market today.
Local Heating Efficiency Experts
For over 20 years, El Indio AC has been an AC and heating services leader in Tolleson, AZ. We’re a family-owned and operated business offering complete HVAC services to homeowners here. We provide system installation, repair, and maintenance services. We also offer ductwork, home automation, and indoor air quality services. If you need financing to afford a new HVAC system, we’ll provide it on approved credit. We provide same-day service and next-day installations. We also offer a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee on our work. That commitment to excellence is why we’re Better Business Bureau accredited with an A+ rating. It’s also why we have so many five-star customer reviews online.
So, if you need help improving your Tolleson home’s heating efficiency this holiday season, call El Indio AC today.
