Ways Preventative HVAC Maintenance Helps You Save Money
Image via Flickr by brendan.wood
Have you been tempted to skip regular maintenance on your heating and cooling systems to save money? Many people do, only to discover later that they’ve made a costly mistake. The truth is that regular servicing, cleaning, and inspection of your HVAC units will save you money in the long run. These systems are some of the most expensive components of your home, and regular professional care is necessary to keep them operating at peak efficiency and to prevent costly repairs or replacements.
Save Energy
Your heating and cooling systems represent nearly half of your home’s energy consumption, so keeping them running efficiently goes a long way toward keeping your power bills under control. A service technician will clean and lubricate all your operating parts, check belts for wear, top off fluids, and calibrate your thermostat, all of which helps your HVAC systems use fuel and electricity more effectively. Your service technician will also be able to answer questions about how to reduce your home’s energy usage and can tell you how to get the best performance from your particular system. Your technician may also be able to suggest solutions like a zoned system or supplemental units.
Reduce Repair Bills
No one likes it when their HVAC system breaks down; repairs are expensive, and the breakdowns tend to happen during extreme weather when service appointments are scarce and life without heat or air conditioning is at its most miserable. Regular maintenance like lubricating moving parts and cleaning engine components can stop many common mechanical breakdowns before they happen. Components like belts that tend to wear out quickly can be replaced before they snap, and motors that are oiled and cleaned will last longer than those that are not serviced.
Units Last Longer
Air conditioners, furnaces, and heat pumps are some of the most expensive equipment in your home. Replacing them is very costly, so every additional year that you can use your existing HVAC units saves you thousands of dollars. Your units will last much longer if they are well-oiled and aren’t obstructed with dirt and grime. Regular service will help your home’s most valuable systems last years longer.
Identify Problems Early
Nothing lasts forever, and eventually you will need to make repairs or buy a replacement component. Your HVAC technician can help by alerting you to problems before they become emergencies. You may not like to hear that your furnace is nearing the end of its lifespan, or that your air conditioner is developing a fatal problem. But it’s better to learn these things ahead of time, so you can budget, make a plan, and be ready to replace the unit before it fails completely and leaves your family freezing or melting in the heat.
You may think you’re saving money when you skip those twice-yearly HVAC checkups, but the truth is having your equipment serviced regularly will save money in the long run. When your furnace and air conditioner are running smoothly, you’ll enjoy lower power bills, fewer repair expenses, and fewer headaches.