Heating and Cooling Tips from the Maryland Public Services Commission

Heating/Cooling Systems

If your home is heated or cooled by an electric heat pump, following these tips can help reduce your electric bill:

• Clean or change filters monthly; keep return air grilles and room registers clean.

• Make sure ductwork is properly sealed and insulated to prevent leakage, especially around the return. Check ductwork in attics and crawl spaces.

• Keep plants, shrubs, and other obstacles at least two feet away from the heat pump; keep the outdoor unit clear of snow and ice in the winter.

• Make sure your furnace has a pre-season check-up for efficiency and safety; ensure that a trained service technician checks your unit at least once every three years.

• When replacing your heating system, consider a multi-fuel furnace.

Remember—don’t turn off your heating and/or cooling system when you are not at home. Instead, turn the thermostat up or down a few degrees. Turning the system off means that is has to work twice as hard to get the rooms up to temperature; this uses more electricity. Turning back your thermostat by just a few degrees in the winter and up a few degrees in the summer can help save energy. Changing the thermostat frequently can also increase your energy costs. Instead, consider buying a programmable or adaptive recovery thermostat.

Ceiling and fl oor fans spread cool and warm air throughout a room and can assist your heating or cooling system and help keep your energy bill down. However, electric space heaters should be used sparingly, as these units can increase your energy use and your electric bill.

Looking for Air Duct Cleaning Testimonials?

Oftentimes we prefer to do business with companies that have more than just great ads and "catchy" slogans. Now days, most people prefer to do business with companies on a word-of-mouth basis. Here are two websites in the air duct cleaning industry that have testimonial after testimonial. Both websites have air duct cleaning testimonials and also heating and cooling installation testimonials:

CleanMyFurnace.com - Air Duct Cleaning Testimonials - Minneapolis and St. Paul
Duct-911.com - Air Duct Cleaning Testimonials - Nationwide (coming soon)

The latter company has just recently expanded their air duct cleaning services nationwide. For now they only have Minnesota air duct cleaning testimonials, but with the great service they provide, they will soon have scores of testimonials about air duct cleaning.