It’s been awhile since most homeowners in the Stateline have thought about turning up the thermostat, but as we all know, those days will soon be upon here. Many of us look forward to enjoying the comforts of a warm, cozy home when the blustery fall weather returns.
One thing nobody looks forward to, however, is wasting money. And there are a few costly mistakes that homeowners commonly make when turning up the heat.
#1: Skipping preventative maintenance
The best way to solve a problem is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Neglecting routine maintenance on your HVAC unit allows small problems to turn into larger, much costlier ones. In fact, up to 75% of no-heat service calls are related to a lack of regular maintenance. Following through with routine maintenance will help save a fortune on major future repairs. Not only will you save financially, but it’s much easier to have your HVAC unit worked on while the weather is still comfortable, rather than when it gives out in the middle of the night when it’s 10 degrees below zero. Schedule an appointment for an HVAC check with the expert technicians at Pearson. Our highly trained staff will service your unit to make sure it’s working at maximum efficiency and correct any small issues before they turn catastrophic. Also, be sure to replace or clean your furnace filter at least every three months to make sure your unit is getting proper airflow and operating cleanly.
#2: Overcompensating when adjusting the thermostat
When the temperature takes a nosedive, our initial reaction is to turn the heat way up to warm our home. Sometimes it’s hard to stop ourselves when the house is freezing, but it really does more harm than good. Although the HVAC will certainly kick on to warm the air, it has to work much harder to heat a large space in a short time. This means wasted energy and wasted money. Instead, turn the thermostat up a couple degrees at a time and see how things feel when the furnace has shut off. If your home still isn’t warm enough, bump it up another couple degrees. This allows the HVAC to “catch up” to the temperature setting instead of expending a large amount of energy at once.
#3: Keeping the heat up while no one is home
If you know that there won’t be anyone in your home for at least an hour or so, it’s a good idea to turn down the heat by at least five degrees while you’re away. Keeping the thermostat at the same temperature while the house is empty is really just a waste of energy. Turning the heat down before leaving for work makes a huge difference on your energy consumption and requires your system to work less throughout the day, giving your equipment a longer lifespan. Programmable thermostats are a great option when trying to curb energy use and are available at almost any hardware store.
Is your furnace prepared to heat your family’s home throughout the upcoming months? Find out with a maintenance checkup from Pearson. Our expert technicians are trained to spot and correct minor issues before they become worse, saving you money, time and headaches in the future.