Energy Saving Myths

Saving money is a great thing. We all want to save money and there are plenty of tips out there on how. Most tips are great ways to save money and energy but there are some common tips that actually do opposite. The first myth we will cover is that your home will cool faster if you turn your thermostat way down. This is not true because the cooling load is the same. All you are doing is making your system work harder and waste more energy to cool in the same amount of time. Next we cover closing off rooms in your home to save energy. This only works if that room is far from the air handler. When you have a properly sized unit, it was designed to balance using all registers in your home so shutting some can throw it off. This can result in short cycling which wastes energy and puts more wear and tear on your system. Closing registers can also put more pressure on your duct work which can cause them to force apart. Myth number three is turning the unit off when you are gone will save energy. This is half true depending on the situation. If you live in a really hot climate, turning off your unit when you are gone can be a bad idea. This is because your unit will have to work harder when you do turn it back on in order to cool your home. This can cause more wear and tear and higher energy bills for you. You can combat this in two ways. First you can turn the thermostat up 8-10 degrees when you are not home. You can also buy a programmable thermostat. Having a programmable thermostat will allow you to have a higher temperature when you are not home and have it lower the temperature for you right before you arrive back home so you are comfortable. Programmable thermostats are great things because they are easy to use and will save you energy. One last myth we will cover is leaving the fan on when you are not in the room so it will be cooler. Moving air around is a way to make you cooler. Your sweat dries faster when air hits it which gives the idea that you are cooler. This is the good thing about fans so if you are not in the room for the fan to circulate air by you, it is just wasting energy. These are simple things you can quickly change and follow in order to save money, energy, and the well being of your HVAC system. Bartlett Heating and Air can answer all HVAC questions that you may have so give us a call today!