The air conditioner consumes most of the energy in your home. If you are paying high energy bills, the HVAC is likely to be the culprit. Energy conservation is a great way of ensuring efficiency and reducing your energy bills. You can achieve this by managing the HVAC system through various best practices to ensure efficiency.

1.  Schedule Regular Maintenance

The HVAC system is a major home appliance that requires a disciplined maintenance schedule. To stay on track, record all the data regarding maintenance and repairs. Ideally, a standard air conditioner repair and maintenance checklist should include various items, including:

• Auditing the HVAC size to match any equipment additions. While some contractors often install oversize units, it’s best to have a small system that can maintain the overall load. Typically, larger equipment lowers energy conservation, increases energy bills, and compromises HVAC longevity.
• Clean and change filters. Filters can be easily clogged by debris and other materials, thus should be changed and cleaned regularly. Also, coils should always be clean to reduce overheating and unnecessary wear. After routine cleaning, proper thermostat assessments are necessary to eliminate incorrect operation and energy consumption.
• Checking refrigerant leaks. Leaks often compromise optimum operation and efficiency. Compressors tend to overwork and consume more energy whenever your unit fails to provide efficient output.

2.  Maintain Seasonal Equipment and Thermostat Set Points

An efficient programmable thermostat ensures economical operations. An ideal schedule involves programming heating and air conditioning to correlate with specific times of the day and seasons. Maintaining appropriate temperature programming schedules can help you save on your energy costs.

Similarly, increasing the temperature of the HVAC’s chiller water to the ideal level to ensure the system maintains desired temperatures can lead to energy conservation. Ideally, you should aim to control the temperatures of cooling water based on the manufacturer’s guidelines. This practice ensures the compressor doesn’t work too hard to achieve the desired comfort levels, hence saving significant energy.

Equipment setpoints should be reasonable to enhance ideal comfort while working moderately. For instance, fans and blowers should be running at speeds that match the requirements of the space boundaries they serve.

3.  Ensure Proper Insulation and Protect Your Home from Drafts

When checking for cavities in the attic and walls, it’s essential to examine your insulation for any spot where cold or heated air can escape. Estimates show that you can save up to 15% on your energy bill by insulating and eliminating drafts in your home. You should focus on insulating the attic, floors above crawl spaces, and the rim joists in the basement.

Appropriate window coverings can significantly affect your home’s cooling and heating cycles. In cold months, you can leverage the natural heat from the sun by opening the curtains, drapes, or blinds to allow heat in. Ensure they are sealed at night to prevent heat loss from your home. In hot summers, keep the window coverings closed during the daytime to lower the temperatures.

Endnote

Most of the energy consumption is associated with using an HVAC system for heating and cooling. However, you can lower your energy bills by ensuring strict maintenance schedules, home insulation, and proper equipment calibration.