Many homeowners take their gas furnace for granted. They might adjust their thermostat occasionally, or reprogram a programmable model, but otherwise, the heat kicks on every day, and they don’t worry about it until the gas bill arrives at the end of the month. Fortunately, even with your current gas furnace, there are some simple ways you can make your furnace perform more efficiently and inexpensively.
How to Save When Operating a Gas Furnace
Annual maintenance. Every year, a trained technician should come to your home and tune up your gas furnace. He’ll adjust whatever needs to be adjusted, clean various components and check your system’s filter, burners, blower and ignition system. He’ll also likely inspect your ductwork as well. A well-maintained furnace operates more efficiently (and cheapl
y) and indoor air quality is improved.
Inspect and change air filters. Your HVAC technician can’t be at your house every month. That’s why it’s so important to check your air filter monthly during the heating season. If it looks clogged or dirty, replace it.
Make sure to select a filter with a high enough efficiency rating to capture most of the airborne contaminants in your home. Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values (MERV) of 8-12 are usually recommended for a desired balance of air cleaning and airflow maintenance. If your filter gets dirty, airflow will be restricted, and your furnace will have to work harder to heat your home.
Use the thermostat correctly. If you have an old manual thermostat, remember to lower the heat setting several degrees at night and when you’re away from home for the day. You should also remember to readjust it when you wake up or return home. A better alternative is to invest in a programmable thermostat, and program it to adjust temperatures up or down for daily energy savings.
Please contact Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning today for more energy-efficiency tips for your Twin Cities home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about gas furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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