HVAC or otherwise known as heating, ventilation and air-conditioning is three functions combined into one system in modern houses and organizations. Warm, cool or dehumidified air is transported to whole house/building through a series of tubes, called ducts. A central heating & air conditioning unit is the most convenient way to warm up or cool an entire house.
Yet at the same time, HVAC is the biggest source of energy consumption in your house. According to the estimates approximately 44 percent of your utility bills go into heating and air-conditioning.
By following this simple maintenance plan, you can not only increase the life and efficiency of your HVAC system but can also make huge savings on your utility bills.
Heating and Air-conditioningconsumes 44 percent of your utility bills
Checking Thermostat
It is important to save energy while you are not at home and make you feel comfortable when you are at home.
Check All Electric Connections
Tighten all the electric connections. Also don’t forget to measure current and voltage passing through the motor. Faulty electrical connections are not only a safety hazard but can also bring an irreparable loss to your valuable equipment.
Taking care of all parts of a heating and cooling system is important
Regular Lubrication
Regular lubrication of all moving parts is of vital importance. Lack of lubrication in parts that involve friction increases the electricity consumption.
Checking the Condensation Drain
A chocked drain can leave a considerable effect on the indoor humidity levels and can bring an overall water damage in the house. Therefore, regularly monitor the condensate drain of your HVAC system.
Controls’ Checking
Regularly check the controls of your system. This is important for safety and proper functioning of the system. Also keep an eye on the starting cycle to make sure that it starts and shuts off accurately.
Cooling Exclusive Maintenance Plan
Evaporator & Coils Cleaning
Unclean dirty coils diminish the unit’s capacity to sufficientlychill your house. In case of no cooling the system is needed to run longer that in turn increases energy consumption and reduces the life of the unit.
Monitoring Refrigerant Level
Monitoring and adjusting air conditioner’s refrigerant level is very important. Maximum or minimum refrigerant level will decrease the effectiveness of your system. Increased energy consumption in case of abnormal refrigerant will ultimately reflect in your utility bills.
Adjustment of Blower Levels
Blockage in airflow reduces the system’s efficiency by 5 percent to 15 percent. It is therefore, very important that you consistently clean and adjust blower levels of your system. It will ensure unrestricted air flow.
Heating Exclusive Maintenance Plan
Keeping Connections Intact
Regularly inspecting gas or oil connections, burner combustion, heat exchanger or gas pressure will guarantee a prolonged life of your heating system. Faulty gas or oil connections are a great safety and health hazard. Similarly, a filthyburner of worn out heat exchanger can become a cause of inefficient burner operation. In that case too your equipment is a health and safety hazard.
Things to Do Yourself
You must check, clean or replace your filters at least a month in your heat pump, air conditioner, central heating or furnace. At the time of the installation, you can learn it from your contractor. An unhygienic filter does not only consume more energy but also decreases the life of your heating & air conditioning equipment significantly.
The Golden Rule
Other important things to keep in mind include: buying a good quality air filter and replacing it after every 90 days, keeping heating and air-conditioning units free of leaves, pollen grass, keeping at least 2 feet of space free around the system and replacing your carbon monoxide detector battery annually. Above all, you must follow the golden rule “out of sight, but not out of mind”. HVAC systems are generally installed where they are not visible such as roof tops, basement, store rooms, mechanical rooms. Thus, they are ignored quite easily and taken for granted, until they start vying for your attention.
