Spring is here, and cooling season is right around the corner. How do you keep your house comfortable without driving your energy bills up? Talk to your HVAC contractor. With their help, you can take steps to improve your home energy efficiency. Here are five examples to begin with:
- Maintenance. It’s important to make sure your A/C is in good working order with an annual maintenance visit. Your HVAC technician will examine all the components, check the refrigerant charge, make sure the thermostat settings are where they should be, etc. These minor adjustments at the start will help your system run smoothly and use less energy all season long.
- Energy audit. How do you find the best ways to improve energy efficiency in your home? Get a home energy audit. An energy auditor can give your house a thorough examination to locate all the places where you’re inadvertently wasting energy, and help you figure out how to eliminate that waste.
- Seal leaks. Leaks in your home waste tremendous energy, letting warm air in and cool, conditioned air out. To improve home energy efficiency, your energy auditor should perform a blower door test to find all the places where air is leaking in, from cracks in the walls to gaps in the doors and windows. Then you can seal them up.
- Upgrade. If your A/C is older, you may want to get a new one. Check the SEER rating to find a system that cools more efficiently. Look for the blue Energy Star logo, indicating that it’s proven to save money and energy over similar models. And get a qualified HVAC contractor to install the system to make sure it’s done properly for maximum energy efficiency.
For more tips on improving home energy efficiency, contact Arpi’s Industries Ltd.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Calgary, Alberta about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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