In many parts of the country, the summers can be hot and the winters can be cold. If you want to live comfortably, you need a high-quality heating and cooling system in your home. However, choosing the right one can be tricky. Read this article for advice on choosing an HVAC system.
If you want to keep your air conditioning unit running efficiently, make sure you replace or clean the air filter once a month. Check the owner’s manual on the a/c for instructions on how to clean the filter. Never run the unit when the filter is removed and let the filter dry before reinstallling it.
When purchasing a new HVAC system for your home, be sure it is energy efficient. These days, most new HVAC systems are energy efficient; there is a energy star label on the equipment. However, to be sure your utility costs do not go through the roof, choose equipment that is energy efficient.
When a contractor gives you a list of references, be sure to make use of it. Call the people on the list and ask about the quality of the work, how closely they came to their quote and whether or not the work was completed according to the promised timeline.
Make sure the equipment you are buying is ENERGY STAR compliant. It may seem a small thing, but it isn’t. Products that are ENERGY STAR compliant can save you a lot of money in energy costs over the year. It can be over $100 easily, sometimes a lot more.
If you want things to be more efficient, get new units outside or have your current one moved into the shade. It will reduce the temperature of the air going into the unit, meaning that it will not have to work as hard to cool it.
If you have a window air conditioner without a timer, use a regular outlet timer to control when it is on or off. These are the same ones you use for holiday lights, so all you have to do is plug your air conditioner into the timer and set it to cool you during the day.
Change your air conditioner filter quarterly, or four times a year. This not only keeps the air coming into your home easier and cleaner to breathe, it takes a lot of stress off of your AC unit itself. You get to enjoy health, money savings and reduced energy use altogether at once.
Consider window air conditioners for your home if you are thinking about installing a central unit. Do you really need to cool your kitchen overnight? Do you have multiple floors with only one housing bedrooms? To efficiently and cheaply cool only where people are actually staying, window units are a great choice.
Always ask for references before you allow anyone to start doing work on your HVAC system. Call several of them to make sure that they are legitimate. Many people take the word of the contractor when it comes to customer satisfaction and that can prove to be a mistake in the end.
Think about installing a digital programmable thermostat to keep your heating and cooling bills low. These digital thermostats have timers that allow you to completely control your HVAC use. You can set the heat and cooling to only turn on when you are home and to turn off when you are at work.
If you want to pay for less power use, consider installing an HVAC-specific solar panel system. Such an installation harnesses the power of the sun directly for your heating and air conditioning. Don’t worry though; you can have a switch put in that automatically connects to the power grid the days there isn’t enough sun.