5 Tips to Save Money on Your HVAC

Regular maintenance of your HVAC units will help them run efficiently, save money on energy costs and extend the life of your units. Here are 5 simple things you can do yourself that will help maintain peak performance and reduce unwanted energy costs.

1. Suggested Thermostat Settings:

  • Occupied Cooling 78˚ f / Unoccupied Cooling 90˚ f
  • Occupied Heating 68˚ f / Occupied Heating 55˚ f

2. Check Your HVAC Control Functions

  • These are the parts of your units that are handled the most; make sure they are working properly. Check the starting cycle of the equipment to assure the system starts, operates, and shuts off properly.

3. Change Your Filters Every 30 Days.

  • Avoid dirt, dust and grime. As your filter fills, it will cause your motor to work harder to get the air it needs to run properly. If the filter gets too dirty, the dust and dirt can get embedded into the coils, causing further damage. Additional component cleaning of the air ducts, incinerators, and heat pumps will also ensure a higher quality of filtering and elongate equipment life. Routine cleaning and adjustments to the blower components can increase the efficiency of your HVAC by as much as 15 percent.

4. Check All the Electrical Connections

  • Be sure all your connections are tight and covered. The wires and cords that run through your equipment can become loose or eroded. Check these connections often to ensure the wires are good and your motors are getting the appropriate voltage. Faulty electrical connections can cause the equipment to run unnecessarily.

5. Lubricate All Moving Parts

  • Friction in the motors can increase the amount of electricity use because they are working harder to achieve the same amount of output.

HVAC filter change

HVAC on Roof Top

Young repairman fixing an industrial air conditioning compressor.

Other HVAC Tips to Help Reduce Energy Consumption

Use a programmable thermostat: Pre-program your settings based on operational hours and your ‘rush’ times to ensure comfort and minimize excess run times.

Seal your heating/cooling ducts and open spaces: Make sure your doors, windows, and nooks and crannies are sealed to minimize cool/heat loss.

Make sure your drain is clear: A clogged drain can waste nearly as much energy as a dirty filter because your unit has to work harder to send out less cool air.

Clean the outdoor and indoor units: Cleaning the fan blades will help maintain the unit’s ability to cool the air moving through it by removing dust and other buildup from the indoor evaporator coil.

Small Box Energy’s Proactive HVAC Strategy

Small Box Energy implements a proactive HVAC strategy specifically for your restaurant. First, we analyze your hours, traffic flow and volume. Then, we seek to understand your customer by asking about their demographics, how long they stay and how often they visit. All of this information helps us determine an HVAC schedule that optimizes comfort for customers, and targeted to maximum energy savings. Once this scheduled is agreed upon, the thermostats are locked, giving employees limited override capability. This proactive strategy has proven to reduce HVAC energy consumption by up to 20%.