5 Tips to Improve Your Home’s Efficiency in Conway, AR

It costs less to power and maintain comfortable indoor conditions in your Conway, AR, home in an energy-efficient house. Creating an efficient home means using less energy to perform tasks while reducing carbon footprints, saving on energy and utility bills. Here are five tips you can practice to reduce your environmental impact and save money.

1. Install a Programmable Thermostat

A thermostat communicates the house’s heating and cooling needs to your HVAC system. It’s essential to use a smart thermostat to ensure that your system only runs when necessary.

You can remotely raise the temperature in your home using a smartphone, tablet or computer when it’s unoccupied during summer. According to the Energy Department, resetting your thermostat when you are away from home can save you up to 10% annually on heating and cooling costs.

2. Use LED Lights

A standard household spends approximately 11% of its budget on lighting. Therefore, it’s essential to replace your incandescent lights with LED options that operate at 80% energy efficiency.

This means that these bulbs convert 80% of the energy taken in into light, wasting only 20%. On the other hand, the traditional incandescent lights use up to 20% of energy and waste the remaining 80%. Furthermore, the LED options use 75% less power than the traditional options.

3. Service Your HVAC Unit Often

Your HVAC system consumes a considerable amount of energy to circulate warm or cool air throughout your house. Therefore, you should adopt a routine servicing plan to ensure that your system performs at maximum efficiency.

A qualified technician will help replace or clean the air filters to allow for improved airflow. With clogged filters, your system will have to work harder to produce the desired temperatures, leading to high energy consumption and a spike in utility bills.

A professional will also clean out the ductwork and check for any broken parts or warning signs such as unusual smells or sounds. Fixing such issues will help reduce energy waste and improve the unit’s efficiency.

4. Seal and Insulate the House

Sealing the air leaks around your house is a cost-effective way to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. It helps prevent cool air from seeping out or warm air from getting into the house on hotter days. Look out for leaks around the fireplace chimneys, vents, attic hatches, doors and windows.

You can also install double-pane windows to block off air gaps. If you have the older models, apply weather-stripping around the frames. Note that windows and doors contribute to more heat gain in summer than any other surfaces.

5. Find Better Ways to Cool Your House

You can also improve your home’s energy efficiency by making some simple home adjustments. First, run a ceiling fan alongside the AC. It will help recirculate the cooler air from your unit throughout the rooms without setting your air conditioner at full blast.

Close your blinds and drapes during the day to protect your home from the hot, humid summer conditions in Conway, AR. Southern or western-facing windows can allow entry of unwanted summer heat, so invest in quality drapes and keep the drapes closed.

Additionally, consider using slow cookers, microwaves or outside grills in the summertime. Note that ovens may add more heat to your house so your HVAC will need to work harder.

Further, use cold water for laundry, and only clean full loads of dishes and linen to avoid running appliances for long. Remember that appliances emit a lot of heat.

If you need help improving your house’s energy efficiency, reach out to us. We offer air conditioning repair, heat pump and furnace installations, repairs and maintenance services in Conway, AR, and the surrounding areas. Call Freyaldenhoven Heating and Cooling to enjoy our top-notch heating and air conditioning services.

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