Winters in Florida aren’t harsh, but homeowners often spend more on heating their homes during this time than they should. With mild cold temperatures, it’s easy to develop home comfort habits that just aren’t “best practices.” If you look at your energy bills during the winter months and think they should be lower than they are, you may have fallen into a few heating traps that are draining money.
In this post, we’re going to look at a few ways you can take control over heating costs during one of our winters.
Change the Air Filter Regularly!
This is the #1 reason homeowners end up expending more money than necessary to provide comfort to their homes—and it applies to both the heater and the air conditioner. The air filter on the HVAC cabinet traps particles coming in through the return air vents so they don’t interfere with the components of the heating and cooling system. After one to three months, this debris will congest the filter and force the blower fan to work harder. Not only does this make the heater costlier to run, but the pressure put on it can also lead to breakdowns. Change the filter for a clean one and keep up with regular changes every one to three months.
Never Skip Heating Maintenance
No matter how much you use your heater, it needs an annual inspection and tune-up from an HVAC professional. The best time to schedule this is each fall. The cleaning and adjustments the technicians perform during maintenance reduce friction on parts and prevent the heater from wasting power. Maintenance also heads off numerous repair troubles and an early heater replacement.
Know the Best Thermostat Settings
What’s an ideal setting for the thermostat during a Florida winter? As low as you can set it! Too often, people simply push the thermostat up high into the 70s or 80s (even up to 90°!) when they need heating. This doesn’t provide better heating; it only keeps the heater running longer, and that costs money. We recommend 68°F as a daytime setting. If that’s too cold for people, start at 72°F and lower the temperature by one degree a day to help people acclimatize.
Replace the Heater If Repairs Are Too Costly
You may simply have a heating system that’s stuck around for too long and now is a needless power drain. When you arrange for repairs, weigh the cost of a potential repair against the cost of a replacement. If the repair cost multiplied by the age of the heater is greater than 5,000, then we recommend installing a new heating system. Any single repair charge that’s more than half the cost of a new installation is also too much to pay.
No matter what you need for improved heating in Wesley Chapel FL or elsewhere in the Tampa Bay Area, from a fast repair to a full replacement, we’re the people to trust. We never use unscrupulous business tactics, hidden fees, or upselling. When you call for our help, you’ll get the exact help you need.
