Should You Change Your Air Filter More in Winter?

You likely already know that a clean filter helps prevent air flow restrictions in your HVAC system, but you may be wondering if it’s necessary to change your air filter more often in the winter. The answer to that question really depends on how often you make filter checks now. Ideally, you should inspect the filter monthly during heating season and change it at the first sign of debris buildup, or at least every three months.

Here are some reasons why frequent air filter changes matter:

Longer Equipment Lifespan

If you forget to change the filter and it gets badly clogged with debris, it puts added strain on your HVAC system components. As your equipment ages, that extra workload can cause it to fail prematurely, and you can end up buying new equipment years before it should be necessary.

Lower Energy Bills

When your HVAC equipment is forced to work harder to compensate for a drop in airflow, its efficiency can quickly decline. A loss of efficiency means higher energy usage and bigger utility bills. In contrast, maintaining a clean filter consistently can help cut your HVAC-related energy bills by five to fifteen percent.

Better Air Quality

If you’ve had an air cleaner installed on the HVAC system to improve your indoor air quality, regular filter checks and replacements are even more important. Keeping the filter clean not only ensures optimal air quality, but it’s also vital because these kinds of filters have higher minimum efficiency reporting values (MERV), so they can damage your HVAC equipment faster if they become clogged.

Fewer Breakdowns and Repairs

If you routinely forget to inspect and replace your air filter, accumulating dirt and debris will get into the HVAC system, where it will collect on sensitive components and increase the chance of a break down. By making filter checks monthly during heating season, you can avoid the inconvenience and discomfort of a breakdown, along with costly repairs.

For more reasons why it’s vital to change your air filter regularly in the winter, contact the Middletown home comfort pros 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 air filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 845-367-4482.