Are You Making These Costly Energy Efficiency Mistakes in Your Home?

It’s tempting to take a laidback approach to your home’s energy efficiency. Many people in the Southern California area feel that “energy efficiency” is the same as “going green” and doesn’t give them any immediate reward.

However, being energy efficient can easily add more green to your bank account. And you can see these money-saving results during your next energy bill.

Here are some costly (and easily missed) energy efficiency mistakes people make in their homes and how to fix them.

Letting your furnace go into disrepair

If you don’t know much about furnaces, yours probably sits around until something bad happens to it before you have it checked up. But if you’re proactive about keeping your furnace up-to-date, then you can easily save hundreds of dollars a year.

To see how to be proactive with your furnace’s maintenance, check out the five steps to improving your furnace’s energy efficiency.

Never sealing air duct leakages

What’s the harm in a few leaks in your air ducts?

More than you’d think. Some studies show that duct leaks can cause up to 25% of total energy loss. It can even cause your utility bills to be 20% higher than they should be

Check out this post about how to know if your ducts are wasting your money.

Using your ceiling fan wrong

This might seem silly. How could a fan be used improperly? You just turn it on and that should be the end, right?

Actually, your fan turning the wrong way might keep you from getting the proper cooling effects. And thus you’re throwing money away because if you’re fan isn’t cooling you properly, then you’ll use your air conditioner more to compensate.

Since using your fan can cut air conditioning costs up to 20%, this isn’t a mistake you can afford to ignore.

Check out how to cut your air conditioning costs by using the proper fan rotation.

Never changing your air conditioner’s filter

This mistake compounds the longer you ignore it. A dirty air filter slows down your airflow and causes your system to work much harder and uses more energy than than it needs to.

You need to check your filter every month and change it at least every three months.

If it has been three months since your last air filter change, then check out this post on how to change your air filter.

Make a list to avoid these mistakes

Don’t let these seemingly simple tasks get away from you. Make a homeowner’s list and stick to it. The money you save is worth the extra time and effort.

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