How to Save Money on Your Energy Bills with HVAC Upgrades

From the pancakes in your pan to the gas in your car, everything seems to be getting expensive these days. The rising cost of energy has been driven by climate change and increased demand for carbon fuels. Luckily, with clean energy, things seem to be getting into place. Upgrading your HVAC system can help you save money on your energy bills.

Here’s how you can save money on your energy bills with HVAC upgrades:

1. Insulating Your Indoor Space

Statistics show that homes and commercial establishments consume 40% of the energy consumed in the United States. And, of the $2000 households spend on energy annually, a whopping $200 to $400 could be going to outdated heating and cooling systems.

Sealing air leaks in your floors, fireplaces, ceilings, and floors is a great way to ensure you save significantly on lost energy. Most importantly, upgrading your HVAC system ensures that your cooling and heating systems function optimally, thus saving you significantly on energy bills.

2. Investing in a New System

Old or outdated HVAC systems can cost you significantly in energy costs. Understanding how technology has changed can help you step up and leverage the best-in-class heating and cooling systems.

For instance, the SEER rating continues to change, with changes targeting higher energy efficiency and lower heating costs. Therefore, investing in a new HVAC system can help you take advantage of new technologies in HVAC systems and ultimately help you save money on your energy bills.

3. Retrofit an Old HVAC System

Retrofitting an old HVAC system implies adding modifications to your system. HVAC systems tend to age with time, posing significant cost concerns to home and office owners.

However, adding modifications such as replacing an old PSC fan with an ECM drive, replacing burners, and upgrading to a programmable thermostat are all ways of making the HVAC more efficient. In addition, you can add dehumidification and improve the filtration of the entire system. All these represent critical retrofits to improve the energy efficiency of your systems and save money on energy bills.

4. Higher Efficiency and Performance

Newer air conditioners have higher SEER ratings than your typical 20-year-old system. That’s simply because newer air conditioners have higher Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratings (SEER). This rating explains the amount of energy necessary for removing extra indoor air temperatures. The higher the rating, the less energy you need to get rid of excess temperature indoors. HVAC upgrades typically guarantee higher SEER ratings, ensuring you spend significantly less on electricity and energy bills.

5. Purchase Incentives

The most obvious disadvantage of a system with a higher SEER rating is that it will be typically more expensive to purchase at the onset. However, air conditioners with excellent SEER ratings will offer better purchase incentives. Indeed, some utility companies will offer you rebates for upgrading to energy-efficiency systems, including HVAC systems. This also applies to some states which offer tax breaks for energy-efficient air conditioners. So, ensure to check out with your respective state and utility company to see whether you qualify for these exciting offers.

6. Energy and Cost Savings

You’ll notice significant energy and cost savings immediately after upgrading your HVAC unit. Variations in SEER ratings contribute to energy and electricity savings. And even if your HVAC system has a decent SEER rating, there’s always room for improvement.

You can upgrade it to a higher SEER rating to bring energy consumption to an optimum. For instance, upgrading your SEER rating from 16 to around 19 can bring your energy savings to somewhere between 25% to 40%. HVAC upgrades contribute significantly to your energy and cost savings, whether you’re a residential property or a commercial establishment.

Additional Tips to Save Money on Your Energy Bills

It’s important to recognize that huge energy bills come because it takes a lot of electricity to get rid of excess temperature in your indoor spaces. On the same note, higher electricity and energy bills are directly attributable to the amount of electricity you need to heat your home. This underlying understanding of nuances in energy use can help you save money on your energy bills.

Here are additional tips to save money on your energy bills:

Cover your windows and other open spaces: This helps prevent unnecessary loss of heat and entry of cool air, keeping your indoor temperatures constant.
Throw shade around the house: Planting indoor flowers or trees can help block direct sunlight and thus keep your house cooler.
Change your thermostat: It’s advisable to get creative about your thermostat and upgrade it to a programmable one. A programmable thermostat helps you adjust your indoor temperature at certain hours of the day.
Deploy ceiling fans: If possible, install ceiling fans on your house’s upper level and open the windows on the lower level. If you’re living in a one-story apartment, open windows far from the fan and close windows near the fan. This helps to regulate the indoor temperature and keep the energy utility bills to a minimum.

HVAC Briggs — Your Ultimate Destination for Indoor Heating and Cooling Savings in Northern Virginia

You can contact us for excellent indoor heating and cooling solutions. As a family-owned HVAC company in Northern Virginia, we provide excellent heating and air conditioning solutions for residential, commercial, and industrial establishments. We also provide AC repair, AC sales and installations, and AC maintenance solutions.