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how to reduce energy bills

How to Reduce Energy Bills

| Clarke & Rush |

With your HVAC system running nearly non-stop to keep your family comfortable year-round, you have probably noticed a rise in the cost of your monthly utilities. Unfortunately, heating and cooling a home is not cheap. Our team of experienced Sacramento HVAC experts have compiled a few tips on how to reduce energy bills on your home.

Below is a list of tips that are great for reducing your energy use, and therefore reducing your energy expenses. By implementing these simple changes, you will see a reduction in your utilities in no time!

How to Reduce Energy Bills through Your HVAC System

Routine Tune-Ups

Having a routine tune-up performed on your AC system is essential in making sure that your system will run efficiently, and is a great way to prevent the need for repair services during the cooling season. Our technicians provide comprehensive checkups, inspecting all aspects of your unit, cleaning it, and offering suggestions for problem areas they may have discovered.

Maintaining Your Unit

If you are curious how to reduce energy bills, regular care and maintenance of your HVAC system is it. Maintenance not only falls on the HVAC professionals, but on you as well. You can maintain your unit by checking your air filters each month and changing them as needed. Replacing them at least every three months is a good rule of thumb to follow. Things such as grass, dirt, leaves, and even overgrown shrubbery can clog your system. Clear away any debris near your outdoor unit on a regular basis, and always make sure that you mow away from your unit when cutting the grass.

Change your air filter regularly

Check your filter every month, especially during heavy use months (winter and summer). If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it. At a minimum, change the filter every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool — wasting energy. A clean filter will also prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system — leading to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure.

Invest in an Adjustable Thermostat

You may have heard about adjustable thermostats which allow you to program settings for different times throughout the day. Adjusting the thermostat even one or two degrees while you are away at work for the day can save you significantly. Your Sacramento heating and air conditioning company has a variety of high quality and innovative thermostats to choose from. You may also choose to adjust your non-programmable thermostat manually before heading out for the day. Keeping the curtains closed and using fans are also good tips, but make sure you never leave fans unattended.

A programmable thermostat is ideal for people who are away from home during set periods of time throughout the week. Through proper use of pre-programmed settings, a programmable thermostat can save you about $180 every year in energy costs.

Weather-Proof Your Space

As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills — and your comfort. You can use these tips to learn how to reduce energy bills and increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling system.

Weather-proofing your home is another affordable way to preserve energy and cut back on utility expenses. Cracks around window and door frames allow cool air to escape, forcing your system to continually work harder. Applying caulking and weather-stripping are good ways to seal these air leaks. Insulation in your ceiling or attic and faulty ductwork are other places where air may be escaping. Addressing these issues can result in increased efficiency for your system, and reduced energy expenses.

Seal your heating and cooling ducts

Ducts that move air to-and-from a forced air furnace, central air conditioner, or heat pump are often big energy wasters. Sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of your Sacramento heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent — and sometimes much more. Focus first on sealing ducts that run through the attic, crawlspace, unheated basement, or garage. Use duct sealant (mastic) or metal-backed (foil) tape to seal the seams and connections of ducts. After sealing the ducts in those spaces, wrap them in insulation to keep them from getting hot in the summer or cold in the winter. Next, look to seal any other ducts that you can access in the heated or cooled part of the house.

Install ENERGY STAR qualified heating and cooling equipment

If your HVAC equipment is more than 10 years old or not keeping your house comfortable, have it evaluated by a professional HVAC contractor. If it is not performing efficiently or needs upgrading, consider replacing it with a unit that has earned the ENERGY STAR. Depending on where you live, replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR qualified equipment can cut your annual energy bill by nearly $200. But before you invest in a new HVAC system, make sure that you have addressed the big air leaks in your house and the duct system. Sometimes, these are the real sources of problems rather than your HVAC equipment.

Ask about Proper Installation of your new HVAC equipment

Replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with new, energy-efficient models is a great start. But to make sure that you get the best performance, the new equipment must be properly installed. In fact, improper installation can reduce system efficiency by up to 30% — costing you more on your utility bills and possibly shortening the equipment’s life.

For even more ways to green your home, read our article:”16 Ways to Make Your Home Greener”

As always, our installers treat your homes and businesses with the utmost care and respect. The Clarke & Rush team sets out to protect the working areas in your home and keep the sensitivities of children and pets in mind. When you welcome us into your home, we accept a serious responsibility. From our first conversation to the day you set the temperature on your thermostat, you can depend on us to deliver complete satisfaction, and this includes showing you how to reduce energy bills too.

As your local heating and cooling specialist, Clarke and Rush offers maintenance services, duct sealing, and a variety of adjustable thermostats for commercial and residential customers across Northern California. Call us today at 916-609-2669, or contact us online to learn more!

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