Improving The Overall Efficiency Of Your HVAC System

Heating and cooling are two of the biggest costs that you have to contend with as a homeowner. Part of this has do to the fact that the motor used on AC units and furnaces is bigger than the motor used on other continuously running appliances such as a refrigerator, but that does not mean that you have to accept your HVAC operation costs as immutable. In fact, there are steps you can take to improve the efficiency of your HVAC system and keep your costs lower.

Cool Roofing

White and/or reflective roofs are considered cool roofs. They help to keep your home cooler during the summer and thus reduce your cooling costs. Cool roofs achieve their energy efficiency by deflecting the sun's energy before it has a change to heat up your home. While you don't want your home to heat up during the summer, a little heat gain during the winter can boost the efficiency of your heating system. Thus, while cool roofs will keep cooling costs low, they will have a null effect on your heating bills. 

Shade Trees

Shade is another boon to a cooling system. For example, the condenser coils that your AC unit uses to cool refrigerant so that it is ready to absorb heat from the air in your home can heat up under the direct assault of the sun. The problem is that the metal fins that make up the coils absorb heat from the sun. Your system must first cool these fins before they can be effective in cooling the refrigerant inside. Planting a tree will help block the sun, but it will also help to cool the air in your yard through the process of evapotranspiration. Thus, your coils will stay cooler and your system will have a greater volume of cool air to use, so your system will run more efficiently. Again, while trees can have a beneficial effect on your cooling system, they will have no effect on your heating system. 

Window Films

If you are looking for a way to boost the function of both your heating and your cooling system, you should consider applying reflective film to your windows. Such film will help to screen out UV rays during the summer, which will help to keep your home cooler, but it will also help to reflect heat back into your home during the winter, which will help your home stay warm longer. Thus, window film can reduce your cooling costs by about 23% and your heating costs by 25%. 

Don't take high HVAC energy costs without doing something to improve the efficiency of your system. There is much you can do to lower costs, and the more strategies you apply, the lower your costs should be.

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