If you’re a homeowner, then you have a heating system that you rely on to heat your home during the colder winter months. If your extent of using your heater is simply setting your thermostat to your desired indoor temperature, then you have a lot of resolutions that you can make.
Make Filter Changes a Habit
The filter in your HVAC system is there to prevent unwanted airborne particles from remaining in your indoor air. This includes particles like dust mites, pollen, and dirt. As your filter traps airborne particles, it will start to fill up. Eventually, it will be so dirty that your fan blower is going to have to work extra hard to force air through it.
You can prevent this issue by making it a habit to change your air filter often. We recommend most homeowners will need to replace their filter every month unless you have upgraded filtration. To stay on top of dirty filters, it’s a good idea to assess the state of your filter at the beginning of each month. Having new filters on hand so that you can immediately replace a dirty one is a good idea.
Find the Ideal Temperature Settings for Your Home
Every person’s desired temperature settings are going to be slightly different than the next person’s. This year, make it a resolution to find out what temperature settings are right for your family. Most experts recommend setting your thermostat to between 68 and 72 degrees in the winter.
Start at the lower end of 68 and see how you feel during that day. If you’re cold, turn it up a degree. Continue until you find the ideal temperature for your comfort level. It may not seem like much to alter your thermostat a few degrees. However, over the entire winter season, a couple of degrees can make a large difference in your power and fuel bills.
Upgrade Your Existing Thermostat
Gone are the days of using an old dial thermostat. In are the days of smart and programmable thermostats. Now, you can set up your thermostat to be as energy efficient as possible. Just imagining the energy savings you can take advantage of should give you enough motivation to upgrade that old thermostat.
Programmable thermostats allow you to pre-set the desired temperature for every day of the week and the hours of that day. This allows you to set the temperature lower when you’re not at home to save money. Additionally, smart thermostats give you the ability to alter your temperature settings from anywhere that your smartphone can connect to the internet. These newer thermostats will even track your past usage and make recommendations for energy-efficient settings to save you even more money.
Become a SAM (Sierra Annual Maintenance) Member
One of the biggest struggles for most homeowners in regards to their heating system is remembering to get it professionally serviced each year. You can help to remove the struggle by signing up for our annual maintenance program. With this type of program, Team Sierra will call you to set up your annual heating and cooling maintenance.
This is just one small step you can take to ensure your heater gets properly maintained each year. Proper maintenance ensures that your system is working efficiently. It will allow you to be informed of any foreseeable problems before they happen. And it will help to ensure that your system warranty remains active. Most homeowners don’t realize the lack of annual professional maintenance can actually void out their system’s warranty coverage. Check out the benefits of becoming a SAM member.
Get Problems Addressed When They Happen
While you don’t need to call a heating professional at two in the morning if your heating system makes a banging sound when it starts up, you still do need to get it professionally addressed. Far too often, it’s easier to take the ‘wait and see’ approach when it comes to your heater making odd noises or producing weird smells. The reality is that waiting can give your system more time to undergo added damage. It’s best to get problems assessed by a professional when they happen.
Make Cleaning a Habit
When you first moved into your home, you likely had a regular cleaning schedule that you stuck to. That’s until life got too busy, and now cleaning may be a ‘whenever you get around to it’ sort of thing. Unfortunately, the dirtier your house is, the dirtier your heating system will become.
Those unwanted airborne particles like dust mites, dirt, and other debris can easily make their way into your ventilation system via your return ducts. As they head through the return ducts, they can not only get your ducting covered with unwanted grime, but they can enter the inside of your heating system. This can result in premature wearing of the internal component of your unit and an overall shortened lifespan.
Wash Your Vents and Ducting Frequently
As you’re doing the regular cleaning of your home, don’t forget about your vents. Use your vacuum to suck up airborne particles and trap them from the grates of your vent. If your vents pop out of the wall or floor, go ahead and remove them. A good soak in warm water and scrubbing can help to remove any excess debris that is stuck to them.
While you’re at it, use a dry cloth to wipe out the section of ducting behind each vent. The more dust and grime you can remove for your vents and ducting, the less ends up in the air that you breathe while inside of your home.
Weatherize
Air drafts are the biggest struggle of any homeowner. Take time to feel around each window and door in your home. If there is any cold air coming through, it’s time to weatherize. You can use door sweeps, door snakes, and weatherstripping to block the cold air from drafting into your home.
Gain More HVAC Knowledge
To become a more informed homeowner, you may want to make it your new year’s resolution to learn more about your HVAC system and heating systems in general. When you have more knowledge, it can help in a lot of ways. First, you can work to make your system operate more efficiently to save yourself some money.
Second, you can make a more informed decision about what type of heating system you’ll want to invest in when your existing system reaches the end of its lifespan. You don’t have to become an HVAC expert. But, knowing more about your heating system can be beneficial as a homeowner.
Professional Heating Services
Sierra Air Conditioning & Plumbing offers professional heating services to the entire Las Vegas, NV, community. We’re also available for all of your plumbing, cooling, indoor air quality, UV lighting, and whole-house zoning needs. Contact us today to get professional assistance from a company that you can trust.
