As temperatures start to rise throughout the spring season, it isn’t unusual for Houston homeowners’ energy bills to jump. Get a handle on your energy consumption now and in the warmer months ahead with these five spring cleaning tasks.
Change Your HVAC Air Filter
Make the most of the spring season by changing your HVAC system’s air filter at your earliest opportunity. HVAC professionals generally recommend doing this at least every three months, but it’s important to change the air filter as often as once a month during times of heavier use.
If you’re like most homeowners in the Houston area, you’ll want to keep to a monthly schedule from the late spring through the early fall. Not only is this a simple change to make in the spring, but it will also help your HVAC system run as efficiently as possible all season long.
When you schedule preventive maintenance with Maxx AC & Heating, changing the air filter is just one of the many services our experienced technicians offer. We’ll also ensure that you’re using the right type of filter for your home’s system and your family’s filtration needs.
Avoid Harsh Chemicals
For many homeowners, spring cleaning is synonymous with scrubbing down everything from the bathroom to the kitchen in order to get a fresh, clean start. While a deep clean is a great way to ring in the spring season, using harsh chemicals isn’t.
Many cleaning products that you purchase at your local store are packed with volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), which release harmful substances into the air. Over time, VOCs can cause a range of respiratory problems, and possibly making your family sick despite their cleaning powers.
Rather than running your air conditioner constantly to remove harsh chemicals from the air, consider installing an air cleaner that will filter out harmful molecules more efficiently. You can lower your energy consumption even more by eliminating conventional cleaning products altogether and using gentler substances like white vinegar, citrus, and eco-friendly detergents instead.
Rethink Your Laundry Routine
With sports practice every afternoon and the kids’ games every weekend, spring demands more frequent loads of laundry. Keeping uniforms crisp and clean is critical, but using excessive energy isn’t. Remember that the average load of laundry in a top-loading washing machine demands upwards of 40 gallons of water, while the typical dryer uses about five kilowatts of electricity every hour. This might not sound like much, but it adds up quickly over the course of a week.
Rather than wasting energy, try rethinking your regular laundry routine. Run fewer cycles by consolidating clothes and waiting until you have a full load before starting the machine. Wash clothes with cold water to save energy.
Replace Outdated Bulbs
Reliable light is an important part of every Houston home, and spring is the ideal time to reconsider the types of light bulbs you’re using. If most of your fixtures still rely on traditional incandescent bulbs, you’re wasting a substantial amount of energy. Since up to 90 percent of the energy that these bulbs generate simply turns into heat, you’re wasting secondary energy to compensate with additional cooling power.
Replace your old incandescent bulbs with new compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or LED lighting. Both use as little as a quarter of the energy that traditional bulbs do, and they’re available in a wide range of shapes and colors.
Upgrade to an Energy-Efficient Air Conditioner
As summer approaches, it gets harder and harder to stay comfortable without running your air conditioner. If your unit is more than 10 years old or never seems to keep your home comfortable, consider upgrading to a more efficient unit.
Though a new unit will come at an initial cost, it will pay off over time with lower energy usage and more efficient operation. You’ll save the most energy by opting for an Energy Star certified unit with the highest seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) rating possible.
Whether you’re considering a new air conditioner or you need to schedule maintenance for your existing system, we’re here to help. Call Maxx AC & Heating to learn more about our experienced air conditioning services: (281) 338-2653.
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