Saving Money and Energy with Routine Filter Changes

With routine filter changes you are doing more than just helping your HVAC system last longer by preventing clogs and promoting airflow -- you're helping yourself in energy costs and in your health.

Changing your filter frequently helps cut down on pollutants in the air, giving allergy and asthma sufferers more breathing room. Mold, pollen and dust are all able to float in the air when filters are dirty or clogged; keeping them changed helps trap more allergens. They also reduces wear and tear on your system's blower motor, which must work harder when airflow is blocked.

How to Change Your Filter

• Turn off your furnace's power source at the circuit breaker.
• Find the filter panel, take off the cover, and remove your filter.
• Take this old filter and put into a garbage container or bag outside of the house to prevent germ and allergens spreading.
• Put the same size of filter into the space where the old filter was, some have arrows or notices to tell you how to put them in.
• Take the cover back onto the section and secure it.
• Turn the power to the furnace back on.

Routine filter changes, according to the Energy Star website, is one of the easiest ways that you can be vigiliant about energy saving at your home. A unit just works better, lasts longer, and does so under less energy load when it is working with a clean filter. Today's filters can come in a wide variety of types. Make sure your filter has a rating for some of the smallest particles, so that even polluntants you can't readily see are caught in it.



Source: Energy Star Website