Keeping your furnace operating efficiently during the Yuma area’s short but chilly heating season may sometimes be a challenge, but the payoff in improved indoor comfort and savings on your heating bills make it worth the effort. Here are some suggestions for maximizing furnace efficiency from the beginning of heating season to the end. Most of them also apply to your cooling system.
- Seal ducts: All of the air that heats your house travels through the ductwork, which increases the chance of energy-
stealing leaks somewhere within the network. Make sure that all sections of the ductwork fit together tightly, leaving no gaps, holes, or openings between sections, elbows, and branches. Seal connections between ductwork sections with the specialized sealant mastic or with metal tape. Tightly sealed ducts have the same benefits during Yuma’s long cooling season, too. - Use dampers: In most home HVAC systems, you’ll find dampers that allow you to balance and control the amount of hot and cold air flowing into your home. By turning these dampers back and forth, you can open or block the supply pipe and control the air flow. Dampers can also be found in most system’s registers. Try closing the dampers in the warmest rooms in your house to see how that affects furnace efficiency and overall heating effectiveness. Opposite for cooling.
- Add cold-air returns: Air return ducts bring air back to the furnace where it’s heated and circulated again. In many homes, there aren’t enough of these ducts in place to provide an adequate return airflow. By installing more cold-air return ducts in living areas, bedrooms, and large common areas, you’ll improve the airflow and make sure that enough air is brought back to your furnace to keep a steady supply of warm air flowing into your house. Like the other tips here, this can apply just as well to your air conditioning.
- Reduce temperature settings: By turning down your thermostat in the winter (and up in the summer), you’ll save substantial amounts of energy while improving HVAC system performance and efficiency. If you install and use a programmable thermostat, you’ll gain even greater control over cooling and heating your home.
For 60 years, Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company has been a trusted family-owned source of air conditioning, refrigeration, and electrical sales and service for customers in Yuma and the surrounding area. Contact us today for more information on keeping your furnace and A/C operating efficiently.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnace efficiency and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Hansberger Refrigeration & Electric Co services the Yuma area in Arizona. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
