Little Rock Heating Tips and Efficiency Ratings
Heating Season Efficiency Tips
If your heating bill is putting a chill on your budget, your local HVAC contractor can help you save money this winter. As the cooler months unfold, you can take these steps to help reduce your energy bill:
1. Turn the fan on.
Even if you don’t have a top-of-the-line furnace, it will cost just a few dollars a month to keep your central heating system fan running all the time. The fan will keep air moving through your house to keep it evenly heated and prevent the coldest air from collecting on the floor downstairs.
2. Think twice about that cozy fire.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a roaring fire sends as much as 24,000 cubic feet of air per hour up the chimney. That warm air will be replaced by cold air pulled from outside the home. Your heating system will have work even harder to heat that cold air while your fire is burning.
3. Heavier curtains can save you money.
Installing heavily insulated curtains and keeping them closed at night can cut your heating bill by reducing heat loss overnight.
4. Plug those plugs.
Electrical outlets on outside walls can allow cold air into your house. Seal them off with easy-to-install insulating kits available at most hardware or home-supply stores. Also, seal and insulate around other openings, such as attic doors, vents and water pipes.
5. Plant more pine trees.
Plant pine trees, cedar trees and other evergreens on the north and west sides of your house. Since they do not lose their leaves in the fall, evergreens help block cold winds all winter long.
6. Get a seasonal system check-up.
Have a qualified heating and cooling contractor perform a full system check-up. Preventative maintenance on your home heating system is one of the best ways to save money on your energy bill.
Heating and cooling product manufacturers use a few standard ratings to accurately evaluate the efficiency of home heating and cooling systems. Different ratings are used to evaluate different product types, but a higher rating always indicates higher efficiency. It is important to remember that these ratings are averages calculated over a complete heating or cooling season. The most commonly used ratings are:
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) measures the efficiency of your air conditioner or heat pump during the cooling season. It is a ratio of the unit’s cooling output divided by the total electric energy input during the cooling season. The ratio is expressed as a number, similar to your car’s miles per gallon (MPG) rating. Just like your car’s MPG rating, a higher SEER rating indicates higher efficiency lower energy bills.
Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) measures the efficiency of your heat pump during the heating season. Similar to the SEER rating for your heat pump’s cooling functions, HSPF represents the heat pump’s total heating output during the heating season. Again, it’s expressed as a number like your car’s MPG rating, with a higher HSPF rating equating to higher efficiency and lower energy bills. In general, the heat pump’s HSPF heating rating will be lower than it’s SEER cooling rating.
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) measures the efficiency of your gas furnace. It measures the amount of heat actually delivered to your house compared to the amount of fuel supplied to the furnace. It is expressed in a percentage with a higher percentage indicating higher efficiency and lower energy bills.
Contact us for any questions about your heating system.
Tags: heating repair little rock ar, air conditioning repair little rock, hvac repair little rock, little rock heating repair, hvac little rock, little rock furnace repair, furnace repair little rock, little rock heating and air, heating repair little rock