Your HVAC System And Decreasing Energy Dependence

 

If you haven't heard, the top home energy consumer is heating and air conditioning. In the U.S., this amounts to about 40% of our total expenditures for energy. The second most expensive energy consumer is the combustion engine, and we spend 30% of our energy dollars there.

 

It will never be possible to wean ourselves of heating and cooling our homes. If temperatures could be balanced out from winter to summer, many places wouldn't need heat or cooling, but that of course will never occur. There are some steps that can be taken to improve the energy usage of the equipment that makes the electric meter spin.

 

1. Yearly checkups - Generally one of the least expensive actions to take to keep the heat pump running at its optimum is to have it checked in the spring before the cooling season, and in the fall before the heating season. Two inspections per year serve to cut energy consumption, give the equipment a longer life, save the environment, and prevent equipment breakdown.

 

2. Purchase the most efficient system - Technology has changed a great deal in a few brief years. If you have an older system, it is most definitely not as efficient as newer models. Buying the most efficient system would consist of getting a ground source heat pump, but that might be more expense than your budget can bear. There are some very efficient models that probably fall within your budget. If you heat with gas, there are units designed to release the least nitrous oxide amounts thus maintaining the atmosphere quality. 

 

3. Check for leaks in older air conditioners - You may have heard of HFCs and their impact on the environment. Hydrofluorocarbons are a problem when they leak from air conditioning systems. Their predecessors were CFCs, which are still found in some household refrigerators. Stopping these leaks is very important to your safety and the environment. Newer air conditioner models usually have refrigerants that do not harm the atmosphere.

 

Finding ways to cut heating and cooling costs is the largest hurdle to clear in energy reduction. Every small improvement helps in the overall decrease of energy dependence.