Are You Ready for the Fall HVAC Season?
The fall furnace maintenance Season indicates that winter is about to come. It is the time when you should start planning about how to save energy and make the arrangements to keep your heating bills as minimum as possible during the winter. Various tips and tricks are there that can help you in lowering your energy bills. Sometimes you may need to make long-term investments such as making low-cost upgrades or proceeding with appliance replacements to make your home energy efficient.
To guide you further, we have come up with different ways that will help you in preparing for the fall season and ultimately for the upcoming Winter season.
14 Ways to Prepare for the Fall HVAC Season
Cover the floors with rugs
To make the home extra soft and cozy, you can cover the room floor with warm carpets and rugs as part of the preparation for the winter season. In this way, you can prevent yourself from walking on the cold wooden floor or tiles with bare feet.
Proceed with Window replacement
If you have single-pane windows in your home, it is better to replace them with double-pane glass windows. Double pane windows provide better insulation from external cold environments and play a vital role in reducing energy bills.
Aging furnace replacement
Although it may seem a bit expensive to replace an aging furnace and replace it with new HVAC equipment, you will enjoy the constant reduction in energy bills for the next few years. Sometimes you may also need to change your air conditioning set up to make it compatible with the new HVAC setup.
Here it is worth mentioning that only the professional installer can make proper HVAC equipment adjustments. Moreover, the right contractor will size the system accurately and help you with proper installation.
Boost up the installation of your home
Boosting attic insulation is a pro tip if you want to observe a considerable reduction in energy bills. Unfortunately, most American homes are not properly insulated. However, the insulation can be enhanced by adding fiberglass or any other insulating material on the floor.
Install glass doors on your fireplace
Warm air often goes out to the chimney, so it is very important to cover the fireplace with glass. By reducing the wastage of energy through the chimneys, the heat can be trapped inside the room.
Schedule Furnace Maintenance
This fall season is the time to prepare yourself for furnace maintenance because it has lost its proper functionality after remaining dormant for months. Proceeding with furnace maintenance every fall season is necessary to prolong the furnace’s lifespan and increase its efficiency, thus considerably reducing energy bills.
Seal the ductwork
The leakage through the air ducts can bring a lot of warm air outside. If you have leaky ducts, it is recommended to call a professional ductwork sealing expert and make arrangements to reduce the wastage of energy.
Seal air leaks
Sometimes the holes are created in the external environment of the home that boost up your heating bills. This fall you have to seal all the areas around the windows, doors, outlets, or electrical penetrations. If you want to seal these areas on your own, you can use weather stripping, foam, or any cloth.
Change the air filter of your furnace
It is no secret that proper HVAC maintenance promotes airflow. Moreover, keeping the air filter clean is also essential from the cleanliness point of view. According to an estimate, you can observe a reduction in heating bills up to 5% by replacing the dirty air filter with the new one.
Ensure the proper air circulation
If you have blocked or dirty air vents around your house, proceed for their cleanliness as it is necessary to maintain a healthy airflow. Moreover, you should also keep 80% of the home supply registers open. In this way, the optimum air circulation goal will be achieved and the proper system balance will be ensured.
Set the thermostat correctly
A programmable thermostat can help you in tracking your energy usage correctly. You can use it to maintain the constant internal temperature and set the temperature to a lower level at the time of sleeping.
Use space heaters wisely
If you are in the habit of using space heaters during the Winter season, it is better to reduce their usage because they are often more energy-consuming. You may have to sacrifice the soothing warmth that they provide to your toes, but relying on the central heating system is a highly energy-efficient idea.
Make the best use of solar energy
Sunlight is a 100% free source of heat during the winter season. Try to get maximum heat from the sun during the winter and keep the sun-facing windows open during the day. Immediately draw the curtains closed when the sun sets to trap the energy and insulate your room against the cold night.
Reverse the ceiling fans
When you proceed with the reverse setting of the ceiling fans, they bring the warm air down. If you do not have a reversing switch you can install it and activate it to circulate the warm air. Make sure to set your fan on low for best results.
Need help in the preparation of the Fall HVAC season?
Although you can implement most of the above-given tips on your own, not all of them are do-it-yourself techniques.
You may need the help of certified contractors and professionals for detailed furnace maintenance and replacement or the overall cooling & heatingsetups of your home.
So, whether you need professional help or more tips on how to save energy bills, reach out to Southern Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning Services providers.
They have skilled technicians and friendly staff that can provide you with a wide range of services, including air conditioning maintenance, heating maintenance, heating replacement, heating installation, and HVAC repair 24/7 emergency service.