If you live in Fort Collins, Colorado, you know that winters can be incredibly cold, and summers can be warm and hot. As such, you need an HVAC in Fort Collins that’s in good condition and functioning for all seasons. A reliable HVAC system is essential for your family’s comfort and maintaining the home’s air quality.
Regular maintenance ensures that your HVAC system runs efficiently and without issues. Taking good care of your HVAC also means prolonging its life, saving on energy bills, and avoiding costly repairs. Getting a new heating and cooling system is also expensive. So, scheduled inspection and maintenance checks are beneficial and cost-effective for your HVAC system.
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Maintenance Tips for Home HVAC System
Your home’s HVAC system will not run flawlessly forever. With proper maintenance, you can prevent issues resulting in high energy bills, low indoor air quality, and discomfort inside the home. So, take a proactive approach to care for your heating and cooling systems before disaster strikes.
Schedule Professional HVAC Checks and Tune-ups
At least two seasonal tune-ups are recommended for an HVAC system each year. You should contact a local contractor who can perform regular maintenance and preventive checks in the spring and fall. The technicians should be able to service and troubleshoot the system to prevent breakdowns.
Change the Air Filter Regularly
The air filters in your HVAC system are designed to catch dust and other particles. After some time, the filter will become clogged. The accumulation of dust, debris, and other particles can lead the system to work much harder than it should. You want to avoid that happening, or you’ll be looking at excessive energy bills. As a rule, you must clean the filter once every two weeks. While at it, you should also clean away any dust buildup around the HVAC unit to prevent it from entering the system and causing more significant problems.
Leave the Vents Open and Remove Any Clutter
One of the worst things you can do to your HVAC system is close the air vents. This will not help you save on energy consumption but will increase the unit’s pressure load and cause a breakdown. If you want your HVAC system to function at maximum efficiency, make sure to keep all vents open and remove any clutter that could obstruct the airflow.
Regulate Your Home’s Temperature
While you want to set your home’s heating and cooling to a level that will give you maximum comfort, a good rule of thumb is to set it at its optimum temperature. You can check your owner’s manual or consult a technician on your unit’s most energy-efficient temperature setting. As much as possible, avoid fluctuating the temperature setting too much to keep your HVAC unit from working harder.
Make Your HVAC System Smart
One way to keep your HVAC system functioning correctly is to take advantage of innovations like climate control devices. You can install a smart thermostat with automatic temperature control. Through this, you can adjust and monitor your HVAC system to ensure maximum performance and efficiency. The best thing is that you can make all the adjustments on your smartphone.
Seal Your Home
This is especially important during the summer. Your air conditioning system will work doubly hard if the air can escape through the doors, windows, electrical outlets, and chimneys. Consider upgrading to more energy-efficient windows that prevent cooling and heating from escaping through them. Adding a good weather seal around the home before turning your HVAC on will ensure you are getting the most energy-efficient performance.
Monitor Your Energy Bills
One way to understand if your HVAC system is performing well is by checking your energy bills. A sudden increase in your home’s energy cost might be an indication that your system needs to be checked.
Is It Time to Replace Your HVAC System?
Preventive maintenance might be insufficient if your home runs an old and inefficient HVAC system. It may be time to consider getting a replacement or upgrading to a newer system. New HVAC units are generally more energy-efficient, less prone to breakdowns, and can even help the environment – by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. You can consult an expert HVAC technician to help find the most suitable units for your home. Also, don’t forget to check the star rating, which indicates the unit’s efficiency rating.
