Today, every homeowner is looking for means of making their homes more energy efficient. The rising cost of electricity has pushed most people to the extreme and most of them have embraced various ways they believe that helps them to save on their monthly energy bills. Powering a home utilizes a lot of electricity, which is why we look for ways of cutting down how much we use.
However, some homeowners practice ineffective ways to cut down on energy and costs. Since heating and cooling costs make up at least half of your total energy bill, it is good to separate myths from facts and focus on activities that will help you save money. We’ll explore a few of these common HVAC myths and what you should do instead to make your home energy efficient.
Myth #1: Setting Your Thermostat to the Highest Heats Your Home Faster
This is a common HVAC myth that most people believe is true. They think that by walking into a cold room in their home and turning the thermostat up to 88°F will help heat the room faster, but it’s simply not the case. Instead, this method is like pressing the elevator button repeatedly to make it move faster, which is impossible.
Typically, the function of your thermostat is to direct your home’s HVAC system to heat or cool your indoor spaces to a certain temperature; setting a higher or lower value won’t influence the speed at which your home heats or cools. In fact, you may end up wasting a lot of energy if you forget to reset your thermostat once your house has been heated. Simply set your thermostat to an ideal temperature and leave the HVAC system to do the rest.
Myth #2: Closing Vents in Unoccupied Rooms When Heating Is Essential
Don't be bothered about closing the vents in unoccupied rooms when heating your home since the furnace usually checks the ductwork and not the number of rooms. The issue of occupied or unoccupied rooms doesn't influence the functionality of your furnaces. In fact, if you shut the airflow in certain areas of the house just because they are empty, it might throw your HVAC equipment off-balance due to the increased air pressure.
Myth #3: Keeping Your Doors Open or Closed
A lot of confusion exists regarding whether is good to open or close the door to your rooms. Some people argue that if you open all your doors, then the accumulative heat power builds itself making the entire house warmer. In reality, this isn’t true. In fact, it is much better to leave your doors closed and heat each room individually. This approach will enable the heater in your rooms to function optimally.
Ideally, your primary objective should be to help your heater create a current convection cycle, which occurs through the repeated rise of warm air and descent of cold air. The low-lying cold air is sucked back to the heater to be warmed again. However, opening your doors disrupts this convection current which in turn affects the performance of your room heater. Therefore, you should always keep the doors shut.
Myth #4: Keeping the Ceiling Fan Running Cools the Room
Fans don’t change the temperature of a room; they only circulate air in the room. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to keep your ceiling fan running in an unoccupied room since it just wastes your electricity. When the cold air that is being circulated by the fan makes contact with your skin, it makes you feel cooler and comfortable. It is always a good practice to turn off your ceiling fan when you leave the room to help save on your energy costs.
Contact David Gray Heating & Air
While these are the most common HVAC issues, it’s not an extensive list. If you suspect a problem with your heating and air or you want to book a maintenance check-up, contact David Gray Heating & Air or call (904) 605-8190. We can help.