HVAC Heating Season Lingo Defined

With heating season in full swing here in the Hudson Valley, the more knowledge you have about the equipment and systems that keep your home warm, the better you’ll be equipped to handle troubleshooting and maintenance, and the better prepared you’ll be to adopt energy-saving practices. Following are a few basic HVAC terms that should be helpful during our long heating season:

Air filter

Household air can be exceedingly dirty. That’s why the air filter plays such an essential role in a forced-air heating and cooling system. The filter — provided it has a high enough efficiency rating — will stop the great majority of airborne particulates that can coat equipment and decrease machine efficiency, as well as threaten the health of home occupants. Make sure you check the filter at least once a month and change it when it gets clogged with dust and other debris.

Insulation and air sealing

A tightly built or weatherized home will retain heat longer, which in turns saves energy (and dollars), improves comfort, and lessens stress on HVAC equipment. For comprehensive weatherization, contract with a trusted HVAC firm to perform an energy audit. This will show where heat is leaving your home, and help you draft a plan for stopping energy waste. Short of that, inspect outside walls, windows and doors for air leaks (then seal them with caulk or weatherstripping), and make sure the attic is properly insulated. A lot of heat gets lost through the attic and roof during the winter.

Thermostat

If you’ve been trusting your thermostat to operate on its own without any human intervention, you’re likely wasting a substantial amount of energy. Install a programmable thermostat, then input energy-saving temperature setbacks for times when the house is empty or everybody’s asleep. If you have a basic manual thermostat, consistently make the same sort of setback adjustments. If you’re fully heating an empty house, you’re wasting energy and shortchanging your own household budget.

For more advice on keeping comfortable and saving energy in your Middletown-area home this heating season, please contact us at C.R. Wolfe Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Middletown, New York about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heating season lingo and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 845-367-4482.

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