We all want to get the most out of our dollars, don’t we? And since we work hard to earn our pay, it seems silly – or at least unwise – to waste what we earn.
The good news is that, when it comes to paying some of our bills there are places where we can make slight changes that end up making a big difference to the bottom line – especially when it comes to managing your electricity bill.
In other words, some simple fixes in your home will allow you to notice a real difference in what you owe in utilities ea
ch month – especially some simple changes you can make to your HVAC situation.
The state of Georgia is below the national average in electricity usage charges, as the typical household – whether that be in Buford, Braselton, Sugar Hill, or Flowery Branch – spends about $200 per month and thus $2,400 a year in electric bills. That’s about 14% lower than the national average but still enough to be a significant drain on your wallet.
What are the biggest culprits of energy usage in your home? Water heaters, appliances, and (perhaps the biggest) heating and cooling units. That is because it requires a lot of electricity to run each of these systems – especially with HVAC, as the weather in northeast Georgia and metro Atlanta requires that we run our HVAC through much of the year to maintain comfort.
However, there are several steps you can take with each to make significant decreases in HVAC usage, including:
Check seals on windows and doors
While these are not actually part of your HVAC system itself, they directly affect your HVAC usage. If you have leaks to outside air, your heating and air units will have to run longer and harder than a home that is properly sealed. So, take a look around and feel for gaps or hot/cold spots around all doors and windows. If you find any, either caulk them up yourself or have a handyman complete the job, as you’re literally leaking money through said gaps.
Fix leaky ductwork
Just like gaps in a door or window, a hole or crack in ductwork means that you are spending money on HVAC that is not doing its job. To determine if you have a hole or crack in your ducts, simply feel your way around those ducts that you can see. If your ductwork is older or if there are large portions that you cannot see, you may want to contact an HVAC professional and have them scan your system for leaks.
Give your thermostat a nudge
Changing your interior temperature by just a few degrees can make a huge difference in your bills. In fact, if you can, set your thermostat for 10 to 15 degrees lower for those times when you are sleeping or away from home. Do this for eight hours a day and you can lower your annual heating and cooling costs by roughly 10%. If your thermostat is capable, program it to do so each day, which leads us to…
Install a smart thermostat
Modern, smart thermostats are as integral to efficient home comfort as anything that any HVAC contractor may install. Constantly analyzing patterns and adjusting to efficiently meet your needs, smart thermostats help streamline energy usage in ways that were unthinkable even a few years ago. It even takes the outside weather into account each day, so that it automatically understands how hard (or lightly) it may need to work to achieve the best indoor atmosphere on a given day. Simply call your contractor or search to find an HVAC installation company that can install a smart thermostat and realize the long-term savings. Considering north Georgia presents a climate that may be 90 degrees and sunny one day and only 70 degrees and raining the next, that knowledge is crucial when it comes to highly efficient energy usage – in other words, your air conditioner may not have to cool as hard on rainy days, but it does need to increase its ability to pull humidity out of the air.
Make sure your systems are fully operational
This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are several people who will let a partially damaged or older system run as long as possible in order to save money on repair or installation costs. The problem with this thinking is that those systems will need to be repaired/replaced at some point anyway. And what are you doing in the meantime? Utilizing more energy than is necessary, as well as not attaining the level of comfort you deserve. You will never recoup the money you throw away on a malfunctioning system. So do not delay. If you have stuttering or broken HVAC, contact an air conditioning repair service as soon as possible – you may even want to consider emergency air conditioning repair.
Keep these factors in mind, and you will be able to make a significant dent in your electricity bills. If you would like further information or ideas on how to streamline and improve your HVAC efficiency in the northeast Georgia or metro Atlanta area, consider reaching out to Zone. Our technicians and professionals work hard to earn the trust of our customers – meaning that we will be honest with you and in how we measure your HVAC and electrical needs. Don’t just google “Heating and Air Companies Near Me,” find a professional HVAC company that you can trust.
Call Zone today – 770-904-5432 – and let us show you why we’ve been a name to trust for over 20 years.