Every time your home’s furnace turns on, it consumes energy. That’s a given. But a furnace can consume more energy than necessary, and that will cause a drop in the general efficiency of your house.
In this post, we’re going to look at furnace components that can help, or hurt, the efficiency of your home. If they’re currently hurting your home efficiency, then the best course of action is to call our team for furnace repair in Lubbock, TX or other HVAC service. We’ll help you enjoy a comfortable and energy-efficient home!
Ductwork
Help: Ducts are both the veins and arteries of your home’s HVAC system. Return air ducts bring air to the furnace to be heated and supply ducts transport the heated air to the rooms. When the ducts are kept in good condition and have regular cleaning, they make the furnace’s job easy, providing low air resistance and preventing the loss of heated air.
Hurt: Unfortunately, ducts aren’t impervious to damage and wear over time. If ducts develop air leaks, they will cause a loss of heated air. Up to 30% of air in ductwork can disappear because of leaks, and that’s air gone to waste that you already paid to heat. In addition, ducts become dirty over time, and this creates resistance to airflow that also lowers furnace efficiency.
Thermostats
Help: If you have a digital programmable thermostat, you can improve home energy efficiency by programming the thermostat only to run when necessary. You don’t have to leave the furnace running all day so the house will be warm when you get home. You just have to program it to turn on a half hour before you come back home. Wi-Fi smart thermostats can improve energy efficiency even more: they learn from your settings and create optimal energy use programs without sacrificing comfort.
Hurt: A faulty thermostat can cost you plenty in wasted energy from the furnace. If a thermostat has even a minor temperature miscalibration, it can cause the heater to run for longer than necessary. Other thermostat malfunctions can cause the furnace to start and stop rapidly, which will drain immense amounts of power. If your home still has an old manual thermostat, you won’t get the peak efficiency you want from your furnace.
Air Filter
Help: The air filter keeps your furnace clear of dust and dirt contamination that will not only make it less efficient, but can also damage it as well. When you regularly change the filter before it becomes clogged, your furnace will be able to “breathe” much easier.
Hurt: Leaving a clogged air filter in place is one of the quickest ways to make a furnace’s efficiency plunge. The blower must strain harder to draw air through the dirty filter, resulting in energy waste. A clogged air filter can also cause a furnace to overheat, so please stay on top of regular changes. We recommend putting in a clean filter every 1–3 months.
JD’s Prompt Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning serves the Lubbock area. Reach out to us to help your furnace run at its most energy efficient.