7 Useful HVAC Tips to Help Enhance Your Home

Wisconsin homeowners know that no matter the time of year, their heating and cooling systems will get a workout. At Gross Heating & Air Conditioning, we want to make it easier for you to take good care of your comfort—and support your budget, too. We’re sharing seven of our best HVAC tips for Wisconsinites below. Find the ones that work for you and call our experts if you need professional help: 262-783-6000.

1. Change Your Air Filter Regularly

We talk often about how important your air filter is to your home HVAC systems. It helps capture airborne contaminants and prevent them from circulating. For the best indoor air quality and optimal heating and cooling performance, change one-inch filters every one to three months and four-inch filters every six to 12 months.

2. Make Good Use of Your Blinds

Your curtains and blinds can be used for more than just decoration—they can also help control your indoor temps. In the summer, try closing them during the day to block the sun and reduce the heat coming into your home. Then in the winter, keep them wide open to let the sun warm everything up. Following both of these HVAC tips can help you stay comfortable without having to adjust the thermostat (and deal with high energy costs).

3. Keep All Your Vents Open

It might seem like a good idea to close vents to rooms or areas you don’t use. But this actually does more harm than good. Your heating and cooling systems are designed to cover your entire house. So if you close off one area, those same systems will work harder than they should to make up for the blockage. That can cause unnecessary stress and potentially break down your units.

4. Use a Programmable Thermostat

Gone are the days of having to fidget with your thermostat to find the perfect setting. Programmable or Wi-Fi thermostats allow you to schedule temperature changes, monitor energy usage, and even change settings based on whether you’re at home or away from it. All these features help you create perfect comfort while saving you energy.

5. Seal Doors and Windows to Avoid Air Loss

You may already do this in the winter to prevent the cold outside air from coming inside, but it’s actually a good thing to keep in mind year-round. This can help you avoid losing warm or cold air from your HVAC systems—and the energy used to generate it.

6. Utilize Your Fans

In addition to substituting box or portable fans for your AC, you can make use of your ceiling fans—and the direction they rotate—to help balance temperatures. For example, setting the blades to spin counterclockwise in the summer can help push cool air down to you. Similarly, switching the blades to rotate clockwise in the winter helps pull cooler air upward, keeping the area below them warmer.

7. Stay Up to Date on System Maintenance With Gross—a Carrier® Factory Authorized Dealer

This is perhaps the most important of our HVAC tips for homeowners. Routine maintenance from our experts helps keep your heating and cooling systems in near-perfect working order. We clean and tune the whole system and fix minor problems before they worsen and cause major issues.

Ready to schedule service? Give us a call at 262-783-6000 or contact us online.