Fall HVAC Maintenance
After a summer of hard work for your AC unit, fall is a great time to show it some love and to prepare your furnace for fall and winter. We have some suggestions for easy autumn maintenance that will leave your air conditioner ready to rest until warm weather returns and have your heat pump, furnace, ducts, and other cold weather HVAC components ready to keep you cozy in the months to come.
- Clean or replace air filters to ensure maximum system efficiency and indoor air quality. Especially in the winter when you don’t open the windows, it’s important to keep up with replacing air filters so you don’t breathe dust and dirt all winter long.
- Join Hiwassee Chase’s maintenance plan for big savings on regular HVAC checkups that will keep your system running smoothly year round. Fall is the perfect time for a technician to perform routine maintenance on all your components.
- Schedule an energy audit through TVA and your local utility company. You’ll find out where you can increase your home’s energy efficiency, by sealing your windows, adding insulation, filling cracks, etc.
- Set your thermostat for as low as comfort permits in cooler weather. 68 degrees is ideal. In fact, every degree over 68 can add 3% to the amount of energy you use warming your home. Install a programmable thermostat to help you regulate your temperature based on your schedule and your utility company’s peak hours to finesse comfort and cost.
- If your home has fireplaces, have them inspected by a qualified chimney specialist, even if they aren’t equipped to work currently. You’ll want to make sure that the dampers are tight-fitting so that you don’t lose heat up the chimney in winter.
- Outside, clear any plants or debris that’s gathered around the condenser of your AC unit or heat pump. Ensure the equipment is all still level. Gently rinse the outside of your AC unit with the hose to clean it off after a summer of hard work.
- Fall is a great time to do planting and landscaping. Consider planting trees or tall shrubs t hat will shade your air conditioning unit come spring and summer. By shading your AC unit, the air around it will be 5-10 degrees cooler, making it easier to keep your home cool with less effort.
- Consider investing in a new furnace. It sounds like a big investment to get ready for winter, but consider the leaps and bounds that have been made just in the past 5-10 years. A decade old furnace might only be 50-60% efficient, but today’s models are 80-90% efficient. That’s a 30-40% savings on your energy bill each month, or $30-40 dollars off your bill if it were typically $100, adding up to $260-$480 a year. That’s a lot of extra money in your pocket!
A few phone calls and a couple hours around the house can make a huge impact on both your pocketbook and your comfort all winter long. Don’t let your HVAC system break down when the temperature drops– right when you need it the most. Instead, you can be confident in a warm, inviting home all fall and winter long.