Whether it’s a hot Texas summer or a chilly winter, having your HVAC running is often a must in order to keep your home comfortable. However, running your HVAC system constantly can raise your utility bills month after month, and no one likes getting a high electric bill at the end of the month. If you’re looking for some simple ways to lower your utility costs, check out these energy saving tips!

Consider Your Appliances

When we run an appliance, we usually don’t think about the effect it may have on the temperature of our home. Some appliances give off quite a bit of heat. For example, your washer and dryer can get surprisingly hot when running. On a hot day this can cause your HVAC system to work harder to cool your home, increasing the energy used, which will show on your electric bill. On a cool day the heat may not be as much of an issue, but the humidity in your home can still be affected. Keeping your washer and dryer behind a closed door can help reduce this.

Evaluate Your Zoning

Zoning is the process of dividing a home into different areas for heating and cooling planning. A properly zoned home can have temperatures for the different areas controlled separately using dampers or electronic controllers.

This can be very helpful for homes in which one area may need more heating or cooling than another. If one room heats up more quickly than another, zoning prevents you from having to always run your heater at the temperature required to keep the slowest heating rooms comfortable.

This can not only keep your HVAC system from running overtime and driving up your electric bill; it can also prevent you from having certain areas of your home uncomfortably hot or cool while waiting for other areas to reach the desired temperature.

If you suspect that professional zoning could improve your home comfort, contact an HVAC expert to come take a look.

Upgrade To An Energy Efficient Unit

If your HVAC system is outdated, it may not be the most energy efficient unit. Older units often don’t operate at peak efficiency, so they use more energy to keep a home comfortable. Upgrading to a new unit can cut down the amount of energy used to heat or cool your home for two reasons: first, newer units operate more efficiently than older units simply due to having newer components, and second, because newer units are often specifically designed to be more energy efficient.

Use A Programmable Thermostat

If you aren’t ready to upgrade your HVAC system, consider installing a programmable thermostat. These thermostats can be programmed to heat or cool your home at certain times. This ability offers a number of benefits. It saves homeowners time and the trouble of constantly updating the temperature on their thermostat. It also allows users to save energy by programming the thermostat to keep their home at a comfortable temperature only when they’re actually at home. Interesting in getting your new programmable thermostat installed for free?

Looking for more tips to save energy and cut utility costs in your home? Contact AirOne Heating and Air Conditioning, a San Marcos HVAC contractor, to talk to a professional.