There's a lot of misinformation out there. People latch onto mistaken ideas and spread them as facts, causing harm in the process. Here are five HVAC misconceptions that can cost money and hurt your heating and cooling system this spring.
MYTH: Turning your thermostat down will cool your home faster. Your AC produces the same amount of air regardless of what the thermostat says. A lower setting won't cool your home faster. It just forces it to run longer, wasting energy. If you want more air on hot days, consider a variable-speed air handler instead, to regulate your home's temperature more efficiently.
MYTH: You can control airflow by closing registers. Blocking certain rooms from receiving airflow creates an imbalance. Your system is calibrated for a certain square footage. Reducing that area can lead to disparate temperatures throughout a room, making the air feel clammy and uncomfortable. Invest in a zoning system instead.
MYTH: Heat pumps are only for the winter. In cold weather, heat pumps can warm your home using less energy than a furnace. They can be just as useful in the spring, functioning just like a regular AC to keep your home cool and comfortable.
MYTH: You should set your fan to "auto." The energy used by your HVAC system's fan is very little. It also helps facilitate airflow throughout the house, which regulates temperature more effectively and saves energy. Therefore, it's more efficient to have the fan running all the time than it is to set it to "auto."
MYTH: You can fix your AC unit on your own. This is one of the most harmful HVAC misconceptions. Your system may look simple, but understanding how it works requires special training in a number of different areas. If your AC breaks, trying to fix it yourself can end up causing more problems, which will be even more expensive to fix in the long run. Save yourself time and money by calling a professional HVAC technician when problems first arise.
To learn about other HVAC misconceptions, contact us at Air Assurance. We provide quality home-comfort solutions to Broken Arrow and the surrounding area.