With Winter slowly gaining traction across the US, check out these tips to save money and lower energy during the heating season!
1. Maintain your heating equipment to lower utility bills. Heating and cooling costs account for about $1,000 — nearly half of a business’ total annual energy bill. Maintaining the efficiency of your facility’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills. Dirt and neglect can impact the efficiency of your HVAC system and are some of the top causes of heating system failure. Schedule an HVAC checkup to make sure your system is operating at peak performance. Also, check your system’s air filters every month and change it when it’s dirty or at a minimum, every three months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool — wasting energy.
2. Download EPA’s free Apps to help protect your health. The AIRNow app allows users to enter a zip code and get current particle pollution and ozone levels and forecasts for more than 400 cities across the country. The Ultraviolet (UV) Index provides an hourly forecast of the UV radiation levels from the sun. Both are available for Apple and Android phones.
3. Lower the temperature in your facility to increase savings up to 12 percent. Control your business’ temperature while away or asleep by using one of the pre-programmed settings. Programming the thermostat to turn the temperature down 8 degrees for 7 hours each night and an additional 7 hours each weekday could result in a seasonal heating savings of approximately 12 percent!
