6 Energy-Saving Myths and What You Should Be Doing Instead

Running a household isn’t cheap, but if you steer clear of some common energy saving myths, you can enjoy comfort and convenience at home without high energy bills. Here are some common misconceptions and what you should do instead.

1. Ceiling fans lower the air temperature — Ceiling fans make you feel cooler by blowing air across your skin, but they don’t change the air temperature. When you leave the room for more than a few minutes, turn the fan off to save energy.
2. Closing air registers saves you money — Closing registers only creates a pressure imbalance within your heating and cooling system. This forces the system to work harder, so it uses more energy and ends up costing you more money.
3. A higher thermostat setting heats the house faster — Choosing an extreme thermostat setting doesn’t help your system produce warm or cool air any faster. If you want your home a certain temperature at a certain time, use a programmable thermostat.
4. It’s most efficient to maintain a constant indoor temperature — It’s almost always more energy efficient to heat or cool only when you’re home and awake than to maintain one constant indoor temperature all day. Choosing an energy-efficient temperature while you’re out of the house or in bed is the best choice for energy savings.
5. A programmable thermostat is an easy way to save money — This device can save you money, but only when it’s carefully programmed for the times and temperatures that are truly efficient, rather than just convenient. For instance, it may be tempting to program the thermostat to heat your home before you get up in the morning, but this isn’t necessarily energy efficient.
6. New, energy-efficient windows can bring big savings — These windows have a minor effect on your energy bills and the payback period is often over a decade. Replacement usually only makes sense when the existing windows have deteriorated badly enough to require replacement. Otherwise, it’s more efficient to air seal the windows using caulk and weatherstripping.

For more information about energy-saving myths, contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy savings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 928-723-3183.

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