3 Reasons to Not Ignore HVAC Maintenance
As a homeowner, you bear all of the expense of your heating and air-conditioning system from day one. That expense includes regular upkeep, minor and major repairs, and the actual cost of maintaining a comfortable temperature in your home. You might also be paying for home automation and security equipment to maximize efficiency and protect your property. But how are you doing with regular HVAC maintenance?
Your heating and air-conditioning system are one of the biggest consumers of energy in your home. You may not realize it, but just a minimal drop-off in efficiency can mean a sizable increase in your annual heating and cooling costs. The point of routine maintenance is to keep your unit working as efficiently as possible throughout the year, thus saving you money. The more you save every year, the more you will save over a lifetime of heating and cooling your home.
If you are not already on a routine maintenance schedule, here are three reasons to change that:
1. Efficiency Ratings Not Permanent
Homeowners spend a lot of time shopping around for new HVAC systems based on efficiency ratings. That’s a smart idea. The higher the rating, the less money will be spent on heating and cooling. What people do not realize is that those efficiency ratings are not permanent. In fact, the actual efficiency of any HVAC system begins to drop off on the very first day it is used.
Routine maintenance ensures that maximum efficiency is achieved throughout the life of the unit. Heating and air-conditioning systems that receive annual maintenance generally last longer and cost less to run than those that are not checked. That’s just the reality of it.
2. Little Things Become Big Things
Just like home automation and security equipment can suffer small defects that become worse over time, any little thing that might go wrong with your HVAC unit can become something big if not caught in time. By putting your heating and air conditioning on a regular maintenance schedule, you make it possible for the HVAC technician to catch those little things before they become big things.
3. It’s More Than Just the Unit
Our third and final reason for not ignoring HVAC maintenance boils down to one simple thing: your heating and air conditioning is about more than just the HVAC unit in your basement or yard. You also have to consider thermostats, ventilation, filters, and more. Routine maintenance looks at all of those things.
As just one example, changing your filter and vacuuming ductwork are both easy and inexpensive, yet they make a tremendous difference in HVAC efficiency. Just those two things could save you an enormous amount of money.
We are all in favor of using home automation and security systems to maximize efficiency and safety. But we also know it is smart not to ignore basic things such as routine maintenance on heating and air-conditioning systems. If you are ignoring routine HVAC maintenance, you probably want to change that.
