Heating And Cooling How You Can Save Money

Each year, Americans spend a lot of money on air conditioning — perhaps nowhere more than in places with extreme temperatures, like Texas. With heating and cooling accounting for abut 48% of the average American home, your heating and air unit is likely responsible for your largest energy expense. Yet despite the fact that we’re so dependent on our heating and air units, most Americans really don’t know the first thing about them. We take the air conditioning that our house comes with when we buy it. We rarely know how old our units are, or how much longer they’re supposed to last. Most of us don’t know much about the history of air conditioning, or the different types of air conditioning on the market. Certainly, many of us today fail to make the connection between heating and air and our energy bills. That is why our energy bills often end up being so high, with the average American household spending 2.7% of its income on heating and air — that is to say, about $2,000. Whether you’re experiencing air conditioning problems with an old unit or contemplating a new central air conditioning installation, there are many things to think about. So, let’s look into how air conditioning works and how you can cut down on costs.

Heating And Cooling Systems: A Brief History

Look — if you aren’t an expert on heating and cooling and its history, you aren’t alone. But if you’re looking to put air conditioning in perspective, understanding its history could help! HVAC units only became popular in the 1950s, without about a million heating and air units sold by 1953. Of course, certain people gained access to heating and air units before others. Herbert Hoover was the first American president to enjoy a heating and air unit in the oval office. If you think you spend a lot on air conditioning now, you may shudder to think that Hoover spent $30,000 on his unit in 1929 — just months before the stock market crash, at that! Slowly, air conditioning became more popular in the years following. Air conditioning may seem to be everywhere in America in this day and age — but the fact is that by 1993, only 68% of homes had HVAC units. That number has increased since then, and now the question is not so much “how do we get HVAC units?” but “how do we save money on heating and air?”.

Energy Efficiency: The Key To Saving Money On Heating And Air

There are many ways in which you can save money on heating and air. But with that being said, the best way you can save money is through being as energy efficient as possible. The simplest way through which you can save energy is through insulating your home properly. It’s believed that without correct insulation, you can lose about 20% of every dollar spent on home heating through the roof of your attic. Of course, insulation may be the easiest way to save money, but it’s not the only way. The installation of a thermostat can save you a lot of money on heating costs. For every two degrees that you lower your thermostat during cool weather, you save 5% on heating costs. This can add up over the course of a winter, especially if you lower or turn your thermostat off entirely while you sleep. Another way you can save money on your HVAC unit may seem counterintuitive — it’s by spending on maintenance.

Saving By Spending: How Maintenance Saves Money

Whenever you buy a new home or a new HVAC unit, put together an air conditioning maintenance checklist. By keeping track of your unit’s maintenance needs and having it regularly serviced, you’re assuring that your unit will last longer with fewer problems. On average, you can expect your HVAC unit to last between 10 and 15 years. Certainly, paying for maintenance isn’t fun — but it costs less to maintain a unit than replace it early!