Heating and cooling your home uses more energy and costs more money than any other system in your home -- typically making up about 54% of your utility bill..
By maintaining and upgrading your equipment, No matter what kind of heating and cooling system you have in your house, you can save money and increase your comfort.
By combining maintenance and upgrades with recommended insulation, air sealing, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy use for heating and cooling -- and reduce environmental emissions -- from 20%-50%..
Set your thermostat and -- depending on the season -- raise or lower the set-point when you're sleeping or away from home..
Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed make sure they're not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes..
Turn off kitchen, bath, and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes consider installing high-efficiency, low-noise models..
During winter, keep the draperies and shades on your south-facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows..
During summer, keep the window coverings closed during the day to block the sun's heat...
Your contractor should be able to give you fact sheets for different types, models, and designs to help you compare energy usage..
The minimum is 78% AFUE, and there are ENERGY STARĀ® models on the market that exceed 90% AFUE.
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