Do you know how to maintain your home systems and appliances throughout the year? It?s not hard to come up with systems for maintaining your home during each season of the year. All you have to do is make sure you are regularly servicing, maintaining, and repairing the necessary appliances year round to cut back on unexpected issues and high costs. Every time a new season rolls around, you simply move onto the next set of systems and appliances to make sure they are operating properly.
Interested in learning more about which systems to maintain in which season? Keep reading for more information on how to keep everything from your AC to your furnaces, to your heating unit working all throughout the year.
How to Maintain Your AC Unit
Before the summer months arrive, it?s important to start checking out your AC to make sure that it is working properly. Since heating and cooling can make up nearly 50% of a home?s energy bill, you want to make sure your air conditioning unit is functioning as best as it can so it doesn?t end up increasing your energy bills during the hot, summer months.
A few decades ago, AC units weren?t as popular as they are today. For instance, in 1993, only a little over 60% of homes had AC units installed. Nowadays, air conditioning units are more popular in homes, especially homes in areas of the country where it becomes hot during the summertime. Every year, homeowners end up spending around $11 billion on electricity to make air conditioning units work properly.
The best way to make sure your AC unit is up and running is by having AC repair or air conditioning services come out to your house to inspect the unit. They can tell you if anything needs repaired that way it is cost early on and you don?t have to go any amount of time over the summer without the unit. You can also regularly change out the filters in your AC unit to make sure it is clean not overworking itself to try and cool the house. The better you maintain your unit and keep it serviced, the more likely it is to last the 10-15 years an AC unit should last.
How to Maintain Your Heating Unit
The last thing you want in the middle of winter is for your heating unit to give out on you. If your heating unit is less than 12 to 15 years old, it should still be in good enough shape to get you through another winter. If your unit is older than that, consider upgrading to a newer unit before winter arrives. Heating services will recommend that you get a high efficiency furnace unit if you need to replace your current unit. A high efficiency system saves you money in the long run by using less energy and reducing your energy bill costs monthly. It may be more expensive upfront when you select one of these models, though.
When you have your heating unit or furnace inspected before winter arrives, make sure they check the installation of your unit. If it was originally installed improperly, it can end up costing you on each of your energy bills. This decreases efficiency of the unit by around 30%. Another way to make your heating unit more efficient is to install insulation throughout your home, specifically your ceilings, to help keep warm inside.
One thing to consider to cut back on costs for your heating unit and ac unit is to check with your local HVAC repair company to see if they offer any special programs for servicing. Some companies offer preventative maintenance for $100 a year. They regularly come out to service, repair, and maintain your units. That way, there are no unexpected issues that end up costing you money and leaving you without your unit in the summer or winter months.
Have you had a service repair company inspect your AC or heating unit before it needed repairs? Let us know in the comments about your experience maintaining these different units throughout your home.