How often do you currently change your furnace filter? Odds are that it’s not often enough.
A grubby furnace filter interferes with how efficiently your heating works – or doesn’t. A dirty filter increases your home’s energy costs, while also making your indoor air less clean and comfortable. This is a significant impact for those with compromised immune systems or breathing conditions as well, potentially leading to more medical care.
What happens if I only change it once a year?
How often you should change your furnace’s filter depends on its size and how much its used, so check the manufacturer recommendations. You should also change the unit’s filter more frequently than recommended for maximum comfort, especially when your furnace is under heavy use, you have pets or if you have a family member prone to allergies.
Your furnace filter will likely need to be changed in peak seasons of use, such as winter (used for heating) and summer (predominately the air conditioning). During these periods of frequent system use, you should check your filter monthly and replace as needed.
It may seem common sense, but households containing pets or smokers typically require more regular filter changes. More contaminants in the air (pet hair, dander, smoke, etc.) result in significantly more clogged filters.
Setting recurring calendar reminders on your phone can help ensure the task isn’t neglected. If you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you can even set recurring orders, too.
How can I save on energy costs?
Avoiding economical, clean, new filters will increase your home’s energy costs as well, since your furnace will have to work harder to get the same output. In addition to costing more in the long-and short-term, dirty filters will reduce the life of your furnace. Replacing a whole unit will be stressful, especially since they tend to die on the coldest day of the year!
Make sure you know which filters your furnace uses, the places can go to get them reliably and have a few extras on hand. The small action steps will ensure you don’t need to worry about it in a pinch.
Don’t wait until it’s the middle of winter to get your furnace assessed. As you can imagine, calls going to furnace specialists heat up when it’s the coldest out, so save your sanity and get a professional in to assess the furnace, filter and assorted equipment now.
Scheduling routine HVAC tune-ups with Latitude.43 will ensure your system is working to the best of its ability all year long. Preventative maintenance is the best way to avoid problems and save money on future repairs.
