Although we would all like to think that we are getting our money’s worth out of our utilities, this is often far from the truth. The EPA estimates that Americans waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water nationwide every year due to leaky faucets, malfunctioning toilets, bad sprinkler systems, and more. Not only will this lead to huge costs out of your pocket, but it is certainly not
good for the environment. Plumbing and heating repairs are quite costly over the course of the year, and this price only goes up as we make our way into the harsher winter months.
A leak in an average household can account for almost 10,000 gallons of water wasted each year. To put the amount of money this wastes into a little more perspective, it is important to keep in mind that, in the average household, heating and cooling accounts to upwards of 50% of a family’s total energy usage for the year. If you suspect that your home has a leak, it is always best to contact plumbing services as soon as you possibly are able. Not only will this save you money in the long run, but it will keep the problem from getting far worse than it would have been if you had only called a plumber to begin with. This same logic can –and should– be applied to heating repairs as well.
Heating repairs are not to be taken lightly. Although you may not be having a constant loss of something physical as you would with water, you are still paying for and using energy without getting any of the benefits of your efforts. In order to keep yourself from ending up in this situation, proper maintenance of your heating and cooling system is key. HVAC system filters should be changed every two to three months to maintain maximum efficiency, something that many people either do not know or choose to ignore. Some HVAC experts say up to 75% of no-heat calls in the winter are related to a lack of maintenance. How embarrassing would it be to know that you spent a large amount of money to fix your furnace with heating repairs that could have been avoided had you only invested a couple of dollars in changing your system’s filter.
As with most things in life, it usually is just best to stay informed about your systems and your water usage in general. It can –and most certainly will– save you a lot of money and heartache overall. When curious about how you can learn more about your heating and cooling systems or even about your home’s plumbing you can also get into contact with the professionals in your area. Not only will they be certified and verifiably know what they are talking about, but they can come and examine the issues you may or may not be experiencing in person.
