Almost half of the energy you use in your home tends to be for heating and cooling. In a typical home within the United States, this usually accounts for roughly 48% of a household’s energy usage. Americans can potentially reduce their energy usage and costs when using energy-efficient systems.
Heating Methods
Natural gas is used in 57% of homes, and is the most common heating fuel in use. While furnaces usually have a lifespan of 15 to 18 years, boilers tend to provide 15 to 30 years of usage.
To raise heating efficiency, there are a variety of new models that can provide almost total efficiency. By law, the lowest efficiency for brand new gas furnaces is 78%. Some of these new models, however, are able to attain 97% efficiency. When you have a high-efficiency system installed, your annual fuel utilization efficiency will range from 90% to 98.5%, which is excellent.
Venting and Cooling Methods
On an annual basis, it costs over $11 billion to provide air conditioning to American homes. When these systems are regularly maintained, they will continue to operate at peak capacity.
With traditional ductwork systems, cooling losses of up to 40% can occur. This can account for over 30% of the energy consumption used for conditioning your home. However, when ductless mini split cooling and heating systems are installed, these can reduce the energy required to provide cool air for your home.
When you have a high-efficiency air conditioner installed in your home, it could potentially reduce the energy you use for venting and cooling by 20% to 50%. However, you’ll also need to engage in other activities to maintain your home’s temperature. These include, but aren’t limited to, repairing drafts, installing insulation, and keeping doors and windows closed so that warm or hot air isn’t able to enter your home and the cool air doesn’t escape.
Find Out More About Heating and Cooling Services
If your existing air conditioning unit isn’t venting and cooling properly now, contact an expert HVAC service for an inspection. It may be that your unit just needs some minor repairs and/or maintenance. When you have an older system, however, you might want to consider having a new energy-efficient system installed.
Your contractor will be able to discuss the benefits of these Energy Star models in detail and install them for you. At that time, it would also be a good idea to schedule regular maintenance appointments so that your HVAC system functions optimally throughout the year.