What Steps Can I Take To Maximize The Efficiency of My Furnace?
Furnaces consume considerable energy to keep our homes warm, which causes many homeowners to worry about winter utility bills. Investment in a high-energy efficiency furnace may be worthwhile, but there are other steps you can take to maximize the efficiency of the furnace and decrease its energy use. Here are seven tips to significantly reduce energy consumption of a furnace:
Change Your Filter
Furnace filters trap contaminants such as dust, dirt, mildew spores, and bacteria before they can enter the blower fan or heating coil and cause further problems with indoor air quality and energy usage. Replacing furnace filters regularly is an easy DIY project that can improve indoor air quality while decreasing energy use.
No matter if it is an inexpensive disposable fiberglass filter with cardboard frames or more costly electrostatic or HEPA filters, they should all be regularly changed out. Change should take place every three months.
Before changing a filter, ensure the arrow on its frame points toward the blower motor before closing and turning back on your furnace. As a reminder, set the alarm or use smart home devices such as Nest to receive notifications to make this appointment on time. Doing so will save money on heating bills, protect family health, and prolong the HVAC system’s lifespan.
Optimize Your Thermostat Settings
As winter nears, homeowners begin thinking about ways to cut energy costs. One effective solution is investing in a new high-efficiency furnace. However, homeowners with older furnaces can still take numerous steps to boost their performance and save on their bills.
A Programmable thermostat, for instance, can automatically alter your temperature settings throughout the day and use previous usage data to find your home’s most energy-efficient furnace settings.
Alternatively, lowering your thermostat by 7-10 degrees for eight hours a day could save up to 10% on energy costs—particularly beneficial if you are sleeping or away from the house.
Change Your Ductwork
Your home’s ductwork acts like a highway that distributes air conditioning throughout. Improperly designed or maintained can lead to energy waste and subpar performance, resulting in greater resource waste and increased operating expenses.
Blocked air registers and leaky ducts can force your furnace to work harder than necessary to keep the house warm, prematurely breaking down or increasing energy costs. These issues could lead to early equipment failure and higher utility costs.
Ducts with air leaks can waste as much as 30% of the cooled or heated air you pay for. Cleaning removes dirt, dust mites, bacteria, and pollen obstructing airflow while sealing closes cracks through which conditioned air evaporates. Adding insulation can further enhance performance. Keeping these steps in mind can help lower heating costs while keeping you cozy all winter!
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Clean Your Furnace Filter
Filters that become clogged with dirt restrict airflow, forcing the furnace to run longer to achieve the desired temperature. This wastes energy and leads to higher utility bills than necessary.
Clean components help your heating system run more efficiently, prolonging the furnace’s lifespan and eliminating repairs or replacement needs. Dust accumulation on parts such as blower motors and fans, electrical switches, heat exchangers and ignition systems can reduce their performance significantly while hastening wear and tear faster.
To clean your furnace:
- Start by turning off electricity and gas supplies.
- Remove the access panels for the combustion chamber and vacuum or wipe away any dust or soot on surfaces within.
- Replace the metal access panel before powering back on and gassing your unit.
Turn Down the Heat
As temperatures heat up outside, you can improve furnace efficiency by turning down the heat inside your home. It doesn’t require much work; it’s just an easy way to conserve energy!
Whenever there are differences between indoor and outdoor temperatures, your furnace must run longer to achieve the desired indoor temperatures. To improve efficiency and save on costs, adjust thermostat settings by a few degrees when no one is home or asleep to increase efficiency.
Weatherproof your home and seal exposed ductwork. Old, leaky ducts rob heat from your furnace and waste energy; by having them professionally sealed, you can reduce wasteful energy use, thus cutting costs while increasing the furnace’s lifespan.
Keep Your Furnace Clean
Winter brings colder temperatures, and dirty furnaces are less efficient, leading to higher energy costs and shortening lifespan. To help improve its performance and extend its lifespan, keeping it clean is an effective and straightforward way to maximize the furnace’s efficiency and prolong its useful lifespan.
Your furnace relies on filters to trap dust and other airborne pollutants before heating the air that enters your home. Still, when these filters become clogged, they restrict airflow, forcing your furnace to work harder and increasing wear-and-tear costs while decreasing efficiency. A blocked filter also increases wear-and-tear costs by forcing more work for less output – creating additional wear on parts while decreasing efficiency.
In addition to changing your filters regularly, it’s a smart idea to clean the inside of your furnace deep at least once annually. Take time to remove the access panel and check that the blower motor and fan are free from dust or debris before checking that the flame sensor has not become covered with soot, as instructed in your owner’s manual.
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Insulate Your Ductwork
Ductwork is one of the cornerstones of effective heating and cooling systems in your home. Leaky ducts, insufficient warm air sizing, and other factors can result in significant energy waste; improving it could significantly boost furnace efficiency while decreasing energy bills.
Regular inspections, cleaning procedures, and filter maintenance are key to achieving peak duct performance. Dust, debris, and mold buildup can clog filters and restrict airflow, further straining your furnace.
Insulating your ducts will also help increase efficiency by maintaining an even temperature and decreasing energy consumption. An HVAC specialist can assess your home and recommend an insulation material that best fits its ductwork, minimizing energy loss while decreasing utility bills and improving comfort.
Conclusion
Maximizing your furnace’s efficiency is crucial not only for reducing energy consumption and lowering utility bills but also for prolonging the lifespan of your HVAC system and maintaining the furnace for indoor comfort. With these proactive measures, you can enjoy a warmer, more energy-efficient home during winter while contributing to a greener, more sustainable environment.
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Experience comfort and peace of mind with Green Street HVAC. We understand that your Furnace should be highly efficient to reduce the overall energy cost and bills. Our expert team offers a range of services including, AC Repair, HVAC Preventative Maintenance, AC Install Heat Pumps, and Furnace Repair. Trust us to keep your home warm and cozy in winters without affecting the electrical bills. Contact us today!
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