Everybody’s looking for ways to reduce cooling and heating bills, and you’re probably no different. However, there’s a variety of steps you can take to lower energy bills, while maintaining comfort in your Sugar Land area home. Here are a few tried-and-true ways to increase energy efficiency without cutting into your comfort.
6 Easy Tips to Lower Utility Bills
- Remove obstructions from heating/cooling vents. Furniture, toys, carpet and drapes have a tendency to partially or fully block supply vents in rooms, meaning your system can’t deliver complete airflow. Also, avoid closing vents in unused rooms, since this can lead to unbalanced airflow and inefficient HVAC performance.
- Make sure your thermostat is installed in a central part of the house that’s not exposed to direct sunlight. The thermostat should be placed in an area that’s typical of temperatures in your home, rather than in a warm upstairs hallway or chilly finished basement.
- Use ceiling fans to complement the work of your air conditioner during the cooling season. When the ceiling fan is blowing air toward individuals in a room, it creates a cooling wind-chill effect that allows you to raise the thermostat a few degrees without losing any comfort.
- Replace (or clean) your forced-air HVAC filter regularly. A clean filter allows unimpeded airflow, and saves your equipment from damaging dust and debris. Make sure the filter you’re using is not a plain flat-panel fiberglass filter. At the very least, consider using a pleated filter that has more surface area for capturing airborne particulates.
- On chilly winter days, open up curtains and shades on the sunny side of the house to benefit from solar heating. When the sun goes down, don’t forget to close the curtains. During cold weather at night, curtains can add an extra layer of insulation.
- Wrap hot water pipes with insulating wrap or tape, and make sure your ductwork sections that run through unconditioned areas are insulated. You’d be surprised at how much energy you can save.
For more helpful advice to lower utility bills in your Greater Houston area home, please contact us at Conditioned Air.