How To Make Your HVAC More Efficient

Just about every old home can benefit from some simple HVAC maintenance. As your home gets older, your HVAC system is bound to become slower and less efficient.This is usually manifested through increased utility bills. Homeowners are often under the false assumption that the only way to make their system more efficient is to invest in new, energy efficient appliances. While modern HVAC appliances are bound to be more efficient, they are also very expensive and beyond the budget of many homeowners.

You could probably dramatically increase the efficiency of your existing heating system with some simple maintenance, without spending much money at all. This is especially true if you have not cleaned or regularly maintained your furnace and condenser units over the years. You might not be able to make your HVAC system as energy efficient as a modern one, but you can increase the efficiency of your existing system without spending so much money.

Insulate Your Ducts and Tape the Seams

One of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve the productivity of your furnace is to tape seams and insulate any of the ducts that are outside of the wall. These exposed duct sections are vulnerable because they are out in the open, where they can be hit and knocked loose. At the same time, they can also be affected by colder temperatures. For instance, you could have exposed air ducts within your basement ceiling. The basement is usually a colder room, so the air flowing through your ducts can lose its heat before it even reaches your rooms. So it is helpful to not only tape your seams and make sure they are air tight, but it is also good idea to wrap any exposed air ducts in insulation to prevent heat loss.

Aluminum foil tape is the best product for taping your duct seems. It works better than normal duct tape and has a more airtight seal. To insulate the ducts, you can wrap them in batting-style fiberglass insulation. You can find affordable continuous rolls that can be easily wrapped around ducts of any size. Basically, tape down one end of the fiberglass and then wrap it all the way around the duct. You can double wrap for extra insulation. With taped and insulated ducts, your furnace is going to be more efficient on a daily basis. It will help your AC and heating functions.

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