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Reducing Your Furnace & Air Conditioning Energy Use

It is widely known that your heating & cooling system contributes to energy consumption in your home. In fact, the average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills, with nearly half of this going to heating and cooling costs.

Understanding what "energy efficiency" means is key. We've accumulated research on the meaning of the term, how it is determined, and how to recognize an energy efficient product.

For further research, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can help you make smart decisions about your home’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Their suggestions help save on energy costs, improve your overall comfort at home, and help fight global warming.

Energy Star is a government backed program that helps homeowners make environmentally-friendly, energy-efficient products purchases. Whether you are looking for recommendations about energy-efficient equipment, getting a quality installation, HVAC maintenance, or ways to make your heating and cooling system operate more efficiently, the EPA's ENERGY STAR program can help.

Other Common Concerns

What Does Energy Efficiency Mean?

Energy efficient is a simple term that is used to identify any appliance or tool that can be employed to reduce the amount of energy necessary to operate machinery or require less heating or cooling within a home or other building.

The idea is that an energy efficient product optimally performs at lower energy levels than the industry standard.

How Do I Determine A Unit To Be “Energy Efficient”?

Industry standards on energy levels and measuring of energy efficiency levels are set by Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

When placed on appliances, the Energy Star label indicates that the product has met the energy efficiency requirements set for that particular industry.

How do Products Earn the Energy Star Label?

The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) establishes these specifications based on the following set of key guiding principles:

[1] Product categories must contribute significant energy savings nationwide.

[2] Qualified products must deliver the features and performance demanded by consumers, in addition to increased energy efficiency.

[3] If the qualified product costs more than a conventional, less-efficient counterpart, purchasers will recover their investment in increased energy efficiency through utility bill savings, within a reasonable period of time.

[4] Energy efficiency can be achieved through broadly available, non-proprietary technologies offered by more than one manufacturer.

[5] Product energy consumption and performance can be measured and verified with testing.

[6] Labeling would effectively differentiate products and be visible for purchasers.

When to Consider Replacing Your HVAC Equipment

If your HVAC equipment is more than 10 years old or not keeping your house comfortable, have it evaluated by Mr. Duct. If it is not performing efficiently or needs upgrading, consider replacing it with a unit that has earned the ENERGY STAR. As a Bryant dealer, Mr. Duct offers a large range of Energy Star approved equipment.

Depending on where you live, replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR qualified equipment can cut your annual energy bill by nearly $200. But before you invest in a new HVAC system, make sure that you have addressed the big air leaks in your house and the duct system. Sometimes, these are the real sources of problems rather than your HVAC equipment.

Further Research & Source Documents

Source Document & Further Research:

Energy Star's "Heating & Cooling Efficiently": http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac

Energy Star's "About Energy Star": http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=about.ab_index

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