Look to your neighbors and family to get recommendations of good HVAC specialists. Likely there's someone you know who's already done a ton of research. Use this knowledge to help get you the best specialist you can. This can save you many hours of research time and money too.
Get all of the details regarding a broken system before calling for repair. Write down the make, model, and any maintenance history. This will facilitate the process when your contractor asks for this information.
Make sure that your contractor provides a home assessment. Not every HVAC solution is for everyone. Your home could have special needs for heating and cooling. Your contractor should do a walk around of your space to judge what is best. If they aren't be sure to request one.
If you want to cool your home in the summer without using your air conditioning on full, consider installing fans in your home. An attic fan can blow hot air out while sucking in cool air into your basement, and ceiling fans help distribute the air in your rooms evenly.
If you want to know more about efficiently heating or cooling your home, go online and download the ENERGY STAR Guide. It provides information for homeowners to learn more about how they can save money while still keeping their home comfortable all year round, so it is a worthy ready.
Whenever possible, try to shade the compressor unit outside. The air that's in a place that is shaded is usually five to six degrees cooler than the surrounding air. Your air conditioning unit will be up to ten percent more efficient if it is properly shaded during the summer months.
Change your air conditioner filter quarterly, or four times a year. This not only keeps the air coming into your home easier and cleaner to breathe, it takes a lot of stress off of your AC unit itself. You get to enjoy health, money savings and reduced energy use altogether at once.
If you currently have a manual thermostat, consider installing a programmable one. You can set your system for different temperatures depending on time of day and if anyone is home. Also, you can set upper and lower temperature settings to allow for a comfortable range of temperatures so that heating and cooling don't kick in when not needed.
In order for your HVAC system to run more efficiently, think about putting a radiant barrier in your attic. It will block the heat and lower the energy necessary to keep your home cool in the summertime. This can also help you make the attic useful again.
Determine which way your home faces in order to establish efficient HVAC operation. Trees placed in the right places can keep the sun from heating your home too much. The less heat, the easier time the air conditioner in your home will have.
Every month clean out the leaves and debris that may have settled into your outdoor HVAC unit. You'll be surprised at how much gets caught in your unit. Over time these leaves can build up and create issues for your system. Just this little clean up can save you a lot of money in maintenance bills.
To block out the sun on hot summer days, allowing your air conditioner to run less frequently, invest in heat http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=176026 blocking drapes. These textiles come in beautiful patterns and colors today, looking just like their designer counterparts. They will keep the heat out so that your home stays cooler without costing you an arm and a leg on utility bills.
When dealing with HVAC contractors, make sure that you get everything in writing. While verbal contracts are legal in many places, it is usually very difficult to prove them. Having everything on paper is a great way to make sure that no ons is confused about any aspect of the process.
Is your home's electrical set-up ready to handle a new air conditioning unit? Most homes have 115-volt circuits in place, but larger air conditioners need 230-volts to be used. Some smaller units may need their own dedicated circuit as well to ensure your home doesn't go dark when you turn them on.
The one thing you should always do on a monthly basis is change the air filter on your HVAC system. It's easy and has a huge impact on performance. Filters are cheap, and changing them regularly adds up to long term savings.
If you feel like you are spending too much money on your heating and cooling, there is a simple way to reduce this cost. Raise or lower the temperature depending on the season. A single degree in temperature change can equate to almost a nine percent savings in cooling and heating costs.
When you have a short list of contractors to consider, ask the people on their reference list about not only the service they received, but also http://www.hammacher.com/product/70404 how well the system is still running. Did they need more work down the road? Has the company come back to make things right?
Hire contractors who offer guarantees of at least 5 year on all labor and parts. This will ensure that you can go back to them to fix anything that goes wrong shortly after your system is installed or repaired. Anyone who doesn't offer a guarantee won't come back unless you pay them again.
You should never hire an HVAC contractor without researching them thoroughly. While this may seem like a nuisance, it will ensure that you have a quality person completing work for you. There is a chance that something bad can happen with any contractor, but the odds decrease if you hire someone competent.
As you can see from the above article, you now understand how it vital it is to have a properly maintained HVAC system. If you don't provide regular maintenance, you could have costly fixes down the road. You should not want that, so remember these tips to help you keep your HVAC system running right for many years to come.
