I’ve been trying to lower my utility bill for over a year now.
Next to my mortgage payment, my utility bill is my second highest monthly expense.
I can control my heat and air usage, so I’ve been trying to run my HVAC system more efficiently. I started by hiring an HVAC professional twice per year to service my HVAC system before the change of seasons. I know it seems counterintuitive to pay someone to come service the HVAC system, but it has saved me a lot of time and money. I was always paying for some kind of repair to my HVAC system throughout the year, but the biannual HVAC servicing has proven to be cheaper. I’ve also been replacing my air filter an extra two times per year. The HVAC professional will switch out my dirty air filter for a clean one whenever he comes to service the HVAC system, and then I switch it out two more times throughout the year. A clean air filter allows the air to flow freely into my home and I don’t have to worry about my blower working harder to heat or cool. The next thing I do is adjust my thermostat by a few degrees before leaving the house. There’s no point in making my furnace or air conditioner run while I’m not there. The HVAC system will still run while I’m away to some degree, but it’s not nearly as much. Lastly, I started keeping my outside unit clean. I trim all the bushes around it and I wash the dirt off the coils. A clean outside unit makes everything run more efficiently. All of this HVAC maintenance has dropped my utility bills by at least 30%.