It’s getting colder and colder as the winter creeps closer and closer. The last thing you would want is for your heater to give.
One of the most important developments of human history is the ability to keep warm over the winter. Taking dominion over Mother Nature, however, isn’t a cheap endeavor. Heating can and will run you a lot of money over the winter even if it all goes smoothly. The average cost being $1000 per month over the four month winter. Running HVAC (or Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems takes up a whopping 15% of all US energy usage and 38% of building energy usage.
If your heater were to break or weren’t operating at optimal efficiency due to poor maintenance, not only would you immediately feel the cold embrace of winter sweeping through your house, but the repair or even replacement costs of your heater to get it fixed would end up running you even more money.
You can help your heater circulate heat more efficiently by making sure that your ventilation system is flowing free. Now this doesn’t mean you should go running out to clean out your ducts to make sure you’re getting proper ventilation. In fact cleaning your ducts is actually one of the worse things you can do. Dust settles over the years on the sides of ducts and in the grates of your air vents. The dust that’s settled on the grates SHOULD be removed, as that dust actually disrupts the flow of air through your ventilation system. The dust that’s settled on the side of the ducts, however, should just be left alone; it’s not in the way of your airflow and isn’t disrupting any circulation. Not only is cleaning the dust from your duct walls a waste of time, but it’s also detrimental; after all that loose dust has to go somewhere, and the only place for it to go is into your house.
