You probably don’t give a lot of thought to the air filter mounted on your HVAC system, but you should, because regularly changing your air filter can not only save you money, it can help make sure you’re breathing clean air in your home. In this blog, the team from Nardco Heating and Air Conditioning explores how much money you can expect to save from regularly changing your air filters and how they work.
How Do Air Filters Work?
Your home’s air filters protect you and your home’s forced-air heating and cooling systems by trapping a wide variety of debris and other contaminants inside. For example, furnace filters keep dirt, dust, pet hair, and other debris from entering the furnace’s combustion chamber. They also make sure those contaminants don’t get past the furnace and get blown all over your home. Furnace filters use a kind of mesh made from a material like fiberglass. The more efficient the filter, the smaller the particles it can capture.
For maximum effectiveness, air must be able to easily pass through air filters. As the filters collect more dust, dirt, and other contaminants, they can block air from getting through. Dirty air filters that are completely clogged, will force your heating or cooling system to work harder than it should.
Dirt air filters prevent fresh air from passing through, which can cause your HVAC system to work harder, which can make your energy bill go up. HVAC filters that are full also can’t catch any more particles, so you may notice more dust around your home as it detaches from the filter.
How Often Should You Change Your Air Filters?
Heating and cooling professionals like the team at Nardco Heating and Air Conditioning can recommend the ideal time to replace air filters based on your home and your system. With most air filters, changing them each time a new season starts is a sound idea. The rule of thumb for changing your air filter regularly is every 3 months or 90 days.
If your home is particularly dusty, someone in your home is a smoker, or you have pets that shed a lot, you may be better off changing your air filter every month. Changing them is usually as easy as removing a cover panel and swapping out the old filter for the new one. You can buy most air filters at your local hardware store. It’s a smart idea to take a picture of the filter or bring it with you to the store to make sure you’re getting the exact sized air filter your system needs.
How Can Regularly Changing Air Filters Save Money?
You want your heating and cooling system to operate as efficiently as possible, because that increases your comfort and means you’ll spend less on energy costs. The government’s Energy Star program reports that the average American household spends upward of $2,000 each year for home energy bills, with heating and cooling accounting for half of that. Changing air filters regularly puts less of a strain on your HVAC system, which can result in energy savings by as much as 15 percent. That can add up to annual savings of $150 or more!
Your dirty air filter can cause more issues than just high energy consumption. Many furnace issues can be caused by a dirty filter. Loud banging noises, low airflow, uneven temperatures throughout your home, or even complete system breakdowns can all be caused by a dirty filter. When you call an HVAC company to help you get your furnace to run again, the first thing the technician will do is check the HVAC air filter, and many times this is all that’s needed to get the system started again. Changing your air filters can help you save money on repair bills as well. Whenever you’re having heating or cooling issues, check your air filter first.
Other Benefits Changing Air Filters Provide
Performing regular air filter changes offers many advantages, including better indoor air quality, greater energy efficiency, and even better reliability for your HVAC system. Let’s examine all these advantages.
- Cleaner Air. Hate it when your home gets dusty? Dust is more than an annoyance. It can actually have an impact on your health. What appears to be simple dust often contains a long list of contaminants, including mold spores, pet dander, and other irritants that can aggravate allergies and asthma. If any of your family members suffer from year-round or seasonal allergies or experience asthma, keeping the indoor air quality in your home as clean as possible can keep them breathing more easily and protect their health. Indoor air can also include chemicals and other substances that may not be healthy. For example, some plastics and paints give off what are known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have been linked to significant health issues. Choosing a highly efficient filter can help you trap these microscopic particles before anyone has to breathe them.
- Greater Reliability. You count on your heating and cooling systems to keep your home comfortable, no matter what the weather. But just like other appliances, heating, and cooling equipment can wear out over time. It wears out even faster if it has to work extra hard to make your home comfy, and having to force more air through a clogged filter can dramatically increase the amount of effort needed. That means you’ll have to pay more in energy bills, as well as experience more wear and tear on your equipment. It’s such a common problem that when our service technicians check to see why a home’s heating and cooling system isn’t operating as well as it should, one of the first things they look for is a clogged filter.
Talk to Nardco to Learn More About Air Filters
Don’t wait for your filter to get packed with dust, dirt, and other icky contaminants. Change it at least with every new season, or monthly if your air faces other challenges. Not sure which type of filter to use? The Nardco Heating and Air Conditioning team can help you make the right choice! Call us today to learn more.
