Improving the Energy Efficiency of Your Home's Heating and Cooling

Your home's heating and cooling system likely consumes the vast majority of your monthly utility bills. Rather than focusing on turning off the lights and appliances, you may want to improve upon the efficiency of your central air and heat instead. Here are some of the easiest ways to reduce your energy usage and improve your home's comfort.

Change Your Filters

In general, a home's air filters need to be changed out every six months to a year. There are some mitigating circumstances; if you have pets, children, or live in a high traffic area, you may need to change your filters closer to every three months. You can check your filters occasionally to determine whether they need a change. A filter that has become opaque and clogged with dust isn't going to distribute air properly. Even worse, it can reduce the quality of the air in your home and cause allergies and other breathing problems. 

Check the Insulation

Insulation plays an exceptionally big part in saving energy. In particular, your home's ductwork should be thoroughly inspected for any potential leaks -- the most common of which have a tendency to occur in the attic. Other areas that need to be sealed include around windows, around doors, and in the garage. By improving your insulation, you can drastically cut down on the amount of work that your HVAC system has to do.

Call a Maintenance Service

Preventative maintenance is always the best type of maintenance. An annual inspection and repair by a trustworthy maintenance service will get your home's healing and cooling in ideal operating condition. The better you take care of your HVAC system, the longer it's likely to last you. 

Clean Your Ducts

Over time your ducts will get filled with dust and dander, and it isn't exactly an area that is easy to clean for a non-professional. Cleaning services have specialized equipment that they use to vacuum and blow out ducts. The more clogged your ducts are, the harder your heating and cooling system will have to work -- and, consequently, the less effective and efficient they will be.

Do you think your HVAC system could use a tune up? One of the major things you'll need to address is the cleaning, dust, and debris. Contact the Dust Doctors today to find out more about professional dust cleaning services and air quality testing in and around Twin Cities, MN.