Your HVAC system is essential in keeping your home comfortable during harsh weather conditions. Like any other machine or equipment in your home, your HVAC will need maintenance or repairs from time to time. This article gives you some crucial tips on HVAC improvements that you should consider for your home.

Have Your HVAC System Checked Regularly

You should have your HVAC system checked regularly, especially if it has started showing signs of wearing out. A brand new HVAC might not need the same type of attention that a system that is more than 5 years old would need. Some essential parts of the system may need replacement or repairs, and the only way to find out is through regular maintenance.

Although it sounds like common sense, many people neglect their heating and air conditioning systems until it’s too late. Too late means you’ll have to do expensive repairs or buy a new HVAC system for your home. Get your system inspected at the start and end of every season to ensure it’s in peak condition for any sudden change in the weather.

Before calling professionals for a more thorough inspection and maintenance, you can visually inspect the system. Check the thermostat, battery status of the thermostat, filters, and flue system. You should also check for signs of mold.

The filters should be changed regularly – not when you think they’re not efficient. New and efficient filters can improve the air quality of your home. Install a smart thermostat for better control of energy consumption. A smart thermostat allows you to regulate the temperatures through an app on your mobile phone. You should also remove any clutter around the HVAC unit.

One of the disadvantages of using an HVAC that is not in good condition is that it will have to work too hard to either heat or cool your home. This means more wear and tear on the parts of the system, as well as heavy energy consumption. A sudden increase in your energy bill is one of the signs of a faulty HVAC. Regular HVAC improvements, in addition to ensuring that your home remains comfortable throughout the seasons, reduce your home’s energy consumption.

Replace Your HVAC System

Like most machines, your HVAC has a lifespan. Regular maintenance is essential in keeping your HVAC in good condition throughout the year, but only to a certain extent. Some types of damage may require a whole new system. If the HVAC is too old, it’s also high time that you start looking for a new system and have an HVAC installation service professional or company do the installation for you.

Any system that has served you for more than 10 years may need to be inspected for possible change. Depending on the type of maintenance or HVAC improvements, the period may vary. The average lifespan of HVAC is between 15 and 25 years. In addition to the type of maintenance, other factors that determine the lifespan include the brand and type of system. Although replacing the whole system is expensive compared to replacing some parts, it’s a worthwhile investment for your home.

Look for the best HVAC system in the market that will give you the best value for your money. The recommendation is to go for a system with a rating of 14 Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ration – SEER. Upgrading to an energy-efficient HVAC system will save you energy costs. Check the Energy Star rating before buying.

Consider Upgraded or Heated Floors

You should also consider radiant heat as an alternative to warming your home. Compared to the noisy HVAC, the radiant floor is quiet. In addition, a heated floor eliminates allergy problems linked to heating ducts. Furthermore, radiant heating is more energy efficient than forced air.

HVAC must be maintained regularly to remain efficient. For instance, the air filters must be replaced regularly. These regular HVAC improvements can be expensive. Radiant heating, however, does not need such regular and expensive maintenance. This is because the radiant system does not have moving parts. As long as the system is properly installed by a flooring company, little maintenance is needed.

Check Your Foundation

Foundation issues can cause a myriad of problems to various systems in your home, including the heating and air conditioning systems. A shifting foundation may also cause electrical and plumbing problems.

Problems with your HVAC system may actually be caused by faults in the foundation of your home. Electrical shorts, separated air conditioning ductwork, and cracked and leaking pipes can all cause problems with your HVAC. Although an HVAC will fix the system to restore comfort temporarily, you’ll need to fix the foundation as a permanent solution. You’ll need foundation repair services to get the HVAC system to start working properly again.

Although foundation repairs can be expensive, the cost of ignoring problems in your foundation is worse. Never ignore any tell-tale signs of a weakening or faulty foundation. You should immediately call a certified foundation repair company to do the repairs for you.

Some of the signs you should look out for in your foundation include new or enlarging cracks on walls, foundation cracks that are more than a quarter-inch in width, and cracks in floor tiles. Other signs you should not ignore are plumbing leaks and misaligned windows and doors.

Improve Your Roof

As you’ve already observed, your HVAC improvements may not yield desired results if other areas of the home are not in good condition. In addition to your foundation, you should also check on your roof if you want your HVAC to perform at its optimum levels. The roofing materials you use have an almost direct impact on the performance of your HVAC.

Just like the regular maintenance, you do on your HVAC, your roof also needs maintenance. Leakages on your roof have serious implications for various systems and areas of your home.

Depending on the type of roofing and the materials used, you may need to make some improvements if you establish that the poor performance of the HVAC is a result of the roof.

Maintaining your roof essentially ensures that your home is insulated from external weather and elements. Together with your walls, the roof is the first line of defense against harsh climates. Openings on your walls or roof only mean that your HVAC will have to work extra hard to give you comfortable temperatures. This is why maintenance of your roof is just as important as regular maintenance of your HVAC. Contact a local roofing service company for regular maintenance of your roof.

Replace Your Roof if Necessary

Your roof maintenance efforts might not be enough to complement the various HVAC improvements you do to keep your home comfortable. If this is the case, you should start considering replacing the roof entirely.

One of the best roofing materials you should consider for the best performance of your HVAC is metal. Metal roofs deliver high insulation and reflectivity, complementing the efforts of your HVAC system in keeping your home comfortable. You should also have your attic ventilation inspected. Inadequate ventilation of the attic hampers the performance of your HVAC.

A reputable roof replacement service in your town or city should be able to advise you on the best roofing materials and style for your home, depending on the climate. You can also do your own research to find out the best materials before calling roofers for replacement.

Upgrade Your Garage Door

One part of your home you’re likely to overlook when doing HVAC improvements is your garage door. Any attached garage door can leak warm or cold air without you noticing. This can put some strain on your HVAC system. Whatever air the HVAC generates, whether cold or hot, gets out through the garage door. If this is a problem affecting your HVAC system, you may have to upgrade your garage door.

To save your HVAC from lots of hard work, you should install a new garage door that is energy efficient and properly insulates your garage. The garage door should have a layer of insulation that slows down heat transfer between the exterior and interior. This means that your garage will be properly insulated, and entering it does not feel like going outside. You can search for these doors on online garage door business websites.

In addition to relieving your HVAC of the hard work, an efficient garage door also reduces the need to warm up your car during winter – which also saves you fuel. When shopping for a garage door on online business sites, one important thing to look out for is the R-value. The R-value measures the thermal resistance of the door. The higher the R-value, the higher the insulating properties of the garage door.

Improve Your Windows

Your windows could be letting in and out cold and hot air without you knowing, just like garage doors. This means that your HVAC will have to overwork to create the right temperatures in your home, and this will also increase your energy bills. If you notice any damage to your windows, you have to repair them before the extreme hot or cold seasons start.

Locate and seal all leaks in your windows. Some of these leaks may be difficult for you to spot visually, and that’s why you should hire a window company to do the job for you. A window professional will also be able to give you the best recommendations to ensure the window gives you proper insulation.

Consider installing window coverings to relieve your HVAC from extra hard work. You may do all the necessary HVAC improvements to prepare for summer, but if your window lets in sunshine, the system will have to work more to keep the room cool.

Add Insulating Drapes or Curtains

Hanging your walls, windows, and doors with various types of drapery goes a long way in insulating your home from extreme weather. Your windows, for example, can let in a significant amount of sunshine during hot seasons. You can block the sun by installing curtains. However, if you want to block the sun but still get its light, you should use UV-blocking blinds.

There are different types of curtains or blinds you can use to insulate your home. You can have a variety of these drapes and curtains and change them depending on the seasons. For example, during cold seasons, you should use curtains made of heavy fabrics. During hot seasons, you only want to prevent sunlight and let your HVAC do the rest of the work.

Take Advantage of Fans

Fans complement your HVAC system in keeping your home comfortable, especially during hot seasons. This is because the fans help in circulating the air throughout the house better. This means they can also be useful during cold seasons. The fans ensure that all areas of the room or home are evenly distributed with cold and hot air. This also ensures that the HVAC system does not use as much energy.

Start From the Beginning

As you have observed from some of the tips above, some HVAC improvements do not have to do with the HVAC system directly, yet affect how HVAC works. Your home’s foundation is a good example. This is why you should consider all these important factors when building a new home.

Make sure you have a solid foundation for your home. The best way to guarantee this is to hire qualified and experienced professionals to do the foundation. Another important area we’ve highlighted is your roof. You should contact custom home builders who will construct your house based on your needs and how energy efficient you want it to be.

You need to make regular HVAC improvements if you want to enjoy the best service from the system. Failure to do regular maintenance and repairs may get you into uncomfortable circumstances during various seasons. You do not want your HVAC to have any faults during winter or summer.