According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, heating and cooling typically accounts for about 43 percent of the energy use in a typical U.S. home. As the largest source of energy in your home, you want to keep the HVAC unit running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Here are a few do-it-yourself tips to keep up the basic maintenance:
- Inspect, clean or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump to eliminate any build up.
- Make sure bushes, fences and other obstructions at least three feet away from the unit.
- Check that air filters are clean and that supply-air and return-air grilles are open and unobstructed.
- Check the settings on your thermostat. You want to make sure the temperature control position is set to correspond with what you want: heat/cool.
These are simple do-it-yourself tips to help make sure your system is operating efficiently. For larger problems, please consult a professional.
Christine is the Content Marketing Coordinator for Homes.com. She's a small town girl at heart, who currently lives in Norfolk, VA with her husband and their fur baby. When she's not working, she enjoys cooking, decorating, traveling, and binge watching Netflix. As a proud Virginia Tech alum, she also loves cheering on the Hokies!
