Homeownership tends to come with a plethora of questions, and many are about your HVAC unit. We want to help you understand your Virginia Beach, VA, system better, whether we’re at your home or not. Here are answers to some of the HVAC questions we hear the most.
1. When Do I Need to Change My HVAC Air Filters?
Your filter should be changed every three months or possibly every month if you have furry pets. When a filter becomes clogged with dust, the air cannot circulate through your system as well. A clean filter helps keeps your system performing well.
2. How Often Does My Heating and Cooling System Need Preventive Service?
You should hire someone to service your heating and cooling equipment twice a year. The air conditioner needs a check-up in the spring, and your furnace or heat pump needs a check-up as fall begins. This ensures that it receives service before you begin using it again and before HVAC companies get bogged down with repairs.
3. How Do I Know When It’s Time for a New Heating and Cooling System?
Once your heating and cooling system needs repairs often, is older than 15 years old or struggles to keep your home heated or cooled properly, it’s usually a sign to have it replaced. As an HVAC system gets older, it has a harder time running efficiently and will eventually cost more money to run than it should.
4. What Is the Best Temperature to Set My Thermostat To?
We know you want to stay comfortable throughout the year without running up your bill. The time of year and your temperature preferences come into play when deciding the best temperature to set your thermostat to. Generally, during the summertime between 74 and 78 degrees is the best setting and during the wintertime, between 68 and 72 degrees.
5. Is There Anything I Can Do to Lower My Energy Bill?
Yes, there are many different ways you can conserve energy and lower your bill. Using CFL or LED lightbulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs, unplugging appliances when they’re not in use and making sure your doors and windows are properly sealed so that air isn’t coming through from the outside will all help your home use less energy.
Using ceiling fans along with your air conditioning will allow you to feel cooler when the thermostat is set higher. A big way to lower your bill is by using a programmable thermostat to control your heating and cooling settings. With a programmable thermostat, you have more control over how much energy you’re using to run your system, thereby improving the energy efficiency of it and saving you money on your heating and cooling bill.
6. Does Indoor Air Quality Matter?
Indoor air quality can be very important to your and your family’s health. Allergens, dust, debris and other particulates circulate in your home, and when there are too many of them, you end up with poor air quality. Poor air quality inside your home can have a negative impact on your home and your family, especially if anyone in your home has allergies or asthma.
7. What Is the Noise Coming From My Air Conditioner, and Can I Repair It Myself?
You definitely should not attempt to fix anything on your HVAC unit on your own unless you have experience with and knowledge of HVAC systems and repairs. Proper meters are necessary to check the different components of your unit, and because electricity powers your system, you are at risk for harm by working on it yourself. Call a local certified HVAC technician to come take a look and to get your unit up and running again.
We hope these have answered some of your most common questions that arise regarding your heating and cooling system. Call Climatemakers of VA, and we can provide you with services you can count on.
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