Taking A Look At Lowering Your Energy Usage – And Energy Costs in America

 

There is certainly no doubt about it that heating and cooling systems alike are hugely important here in the United States. After all, without heating and cooling systems we would all be living far less comfortable lives. Heat is essential during winters for parts of the country that experience freezing temperatures (and, in many places, temperatures that are often very far below freezing) and air conditioning systems make a huge difference in climates that have humid, hot, and muggy summer months.

In fact, it is often illegal in many places to rent a home or an apartment that does not have a central heating system. And while the same does not hold true for air conditioning, air conditioning systems have become more prevalent now than they have ever been before, so much so that up to two thirds of all households have at least one air conditioning unit – and many have central air conditioning systems instead, which tend to be far more effective at cooling the entirety of a home.

But air conditioning and heating systems (typically furnace systems) alike can be a huge money suck, as they tend to go through quite a bit of energy. In fact, the typical heating and cooling systems make up about half of the energy usage sustained by the average single family home, meaning that quite a bit of money goes toward heating and cooling costs alone on a month to month basis. Of course, this lack of energy efficiency is anything but good for the environment as well.

For one thing, choosing the right heating and cooling systems is a great first step. A ductless system for air conditioning is often ideal, as a ductless system often requires far less maintenance than other types of air conditioning systems, such as the mini split ac system. The ductless system for air conditioning removes many of the problems that come along with having ducts, such as contaminants and a reduced efficiency. Simply improving your efficiency by switching to a ductless system can make a huge difference when it comes to your energy bill by as much as twenty percent to fifty percent – a considerable difference, to say the least.

Aside from a ductless system for your air conditioning, switching to energy star appliances can be ideal in many other areas of heating and cooling as well. High efficiency furnaces that are up to ninety eight or ninety nine percent effective have become common and such an energy star furnace is likely to have a long lifespan with minimal maintenance needed.

But from the energy star furnace to the ductless system for air conditioning, regular maintenance is still very much important. In fact, it is still recommended that regular maintenance takes place as least twice a year, if not even more frequently than that. On top of this, simply replacing your heating and cooling systems when they reach the end of their natural lifespans will also save you quite a bit of money.

For instance, a furnace typically doesn’t last longer than eighteen years when given the right care, and a water heater has a life span of about ten years. And while it can seem difficult to spend the money to replace such appliances, it will actually save you quite a bit of money going forward and at the end of the day. Your new appliances will operate with the utmost efficiency and are much less at risk for needing the various repairs that become prevalent in the old age of a heating or cooling system of any sort.

Of course, if a repair becomes necessary, it is important to have an HVAC service provide you with an HVAC professional to look at it as soon as it is noticed. It can certainly be tempting to put off repairs in order to save money but, again, this is something that is likely to end up costing you a good deal of money in the long run. In fact, small repairs can easily become much larger repairs if they are not dealt with in a prompt and efficient manner right after being noticed and noted.