“On the first day of HVAC-mas, my technician gave to me” … Here at H.A. Sun, we have made up our own little holiday tradition: 12 days of HVAC!
Our 12 days of HVAC consists of giving you 12 helpful tips to keep in mind this holiday season. Feel free to use one tip every day, kind of like an advent calendar! Or just read all of them now. Up to you!
12. Take good care of your Christmas tree
Pick a safe spot for your Christmas tree, to make sure it isn’t blocking a vent, or too close to another source of heat! Also, if you’re bringing home a real tree, it can dry out if your home isn’t humid enough. There are lots of reasons you may want a humidifier in winter, including the fact that bacteria and viruses have more trouble moving in moister air. It also helps moisturize your skin as well as your Christmas tree!
11. Learn about your HVAC system
It’s true that the average person can’t make most HVAC repairs themselves, but it still helps to know the basic components of your system and to be able to diagnose the problem yourself. Checking out blogs from H.A. Sun to learn facts, tips, and tricks is a good place to start.
10. Don’t close or block vents
As you might already know, the old “wisdom” about closing off vents in rooms you don’t use in the winter is actually not a way to save money at all. Your HVAC system still works as hard as it would otherwise, and it makes circulating air more difficult for your system, even to the point that closing vents can cause air leaks in your ductwork. So just keep all of your registers open!
9. Save money on your energy bills, with a programmable thermostat
We understand that a programmable thermostat costs more upfront, but they really do save you money in the long run! Your ability to program your HVAC system so it’s not running when you don’t need it to run saves worthwhile money on your energy bills. Programmable thermostats can save the average family $100 – $200 a year off energy bills, working for you year-round, not just during the holidays!
8. Check/change your air filter
You may have heard that you should change your air filter once a month in the winter. While this may not necessarily be the case, you should CHECK it every month, because your system is working harder than ever to keep your home warm. This means that a lot of air, dust, and debris will naturally be passing through your air filter. If changing your air filter is something you tend to forget, maybe you’ll be persuaded to remember by the fact that you can actually save money — a clean filter can save you up to 15% on monthly utility bills.
7. Consider covering your outdoor A/C unit
While it’s true that modern A/C units are built to endure extreme winter circumstances, it can still be a good idea to cover your unit in winter — not to protect it from ice and snow, but to protect it from leaves, including tiny little pine needles and branches. These are what can potentially damage your A/C unit, not ice and snow!
6. Turn down the heat when not home
We already mentioned how you can save money on your energy bills with a programmable thermostat, but you can also save just by manually remembering to turn your heat down. Did you know you can actually save up to 1% on your energy bills for every degree you turn down the thermostat for 8 hours? So when you’re leaving the house for the day, according to energy.gov, just turn your thermostat down by 7 to 10 degrees.
5. Turn down the heat at night
You can use this same logic when going to bed at night. However, this case is a little different because we understand that your comfort is important too. Turning down your thermostat 7 to 10 degrees is still a good idea.
4. Warm up
If you’re cold, not only is snuggling up in sweaters, blankets, and socks (you lose most of your body heat from your hands and feet) a good idea, but an electric blanket is good too. Using an electric blanket is indeed cheaper than heating your house, and less expensive than a space heater as well. Leaving an electric blanket on for a night’s sleep will usually cost about a dime!
3. Weatherize your home (if you haven’t already!)
Although the best time to caulk windows and doors (or add insulation or weather stripping) is when it’s still warm outside, caulk can be applied even when it’s -20 degrees outside! So if you don’t notice until winter that a certain window or door is drafty, it’s never too late to go ahead and seal it.
2. Get great treatment with H.A. Sun’s special annual maintenance plan (if you haven’t already!)
Our preventative maintenance program allows you to get priority status, plus an impressive 15% discount on parts and labor for repairs! This agreement is more than worth it in the long run, by increasing the lifespan of your HVAC system. Learn more here.
1. Get a furnace tune-up (if you haven’t already!)
A furnace tune-up is important to keep your system operating in peak condition. But we know what matters most to you is the high standards of the company you use.
Technicians from H.A. Sun arrive on time, and are kind, meticulous, and affordable. Just give us a call at (248) 986-1506 or contact us online anytime. The only thing we unfortunately won’t be able to give you is, “a partridge in a pear tree”!
