Maximize Efficiency of Your Home Heating and Cooling Systems

When it comes to your home heating and cooling systems, comfort, efficiency, and affordability are all things any homeowner must consider. Of those three, efficiency tops the list because it affects the other two. After all, if your furnace or air conditioning unit does not work well, you will have a hard time maintaining proper temperature inside your home and your utility bills will skyrocket.

The number of way to maximize efficiency for the heating and cooling systems in your home is to choose the right unit, installation company, and maintenance team from the start. If you currently have an older or non-environmentally friendly heating and cooling system, upgrading is your best bet for maximizing efficiency.

Residential Heating and Cooling Systems

Even with the most efficient furnace and AC, there are still things that improve overall efficiency to keep your family and guests comfortable and minimize your monthly bills.

Choose a Programmable Thermostat

Why heat or cool the air in your home when no one is around to enjoy it? Excessive use of your home heating and cooling systems is one of the biggest energy and money wasters. With a programmable thermostat, you only use it when you need it, and you never forget to adjust the temperature at night or when you are out of the house.

Check for Air and Humidity Leaks

Anywhere air or moisture can leak into or out of the home presents an opportunity for the heated or cooled air to escape, too. Although you could replace your windows and doors for maximum efficiency, ceiling any gaps or using weatherstripping can help. Your residential heating and cooling systems will not have to work as hard to maintain a comfortable and healthy temperature.

Improve Home Insulation

Although this is one of the more costly changes to maximize HVAC efficiency, it is also the most effective in many cases. Insufficient insulation leads to a lot of energy loss through your house walls and roof. The HVAC units do not have to work as hard if the warm or cool air they produce stays inside the house.

Use Window Treatments Wisely

One way many homeowners challenge the efficiency of their heating and AC units is by allowing outside conditions and the sun specifically to counteract their function. For example, if you leave your blinds and curtains wide open on a very sunny day, all the heat from the sun would stream inside your house. This makes it difficult for your air conditioner to operate efficiently. Likewise, in the coldest part of the winter when interior heat leaches out through the windows, makes sense to cover them with insulating curtains or shades.

When you choose the best heating and cooling systems for your home from a reputable company like Earth Energy Systems, you know you are getting the most efficient options possible. However, when you use the methods listed above to maximize HVAC unit efficiency, you can enjoy a more eco-friendly and affordable home all year round.

Get Ready for Winter: Residential Heating Services in WI

Autumn is often lauded as the most beautiful and loved season of the year in the Midwest. The air is crisp, the leaves are breathtaking, and the buzz of the impending holiday season is settling in. Schedules change, the temperature drops and our to-do lists take on an increasing amount of items to check off as we look forward to winter festivities. In the hustle and bustle of the season, it can be easy to overlook items like maintenance of your home’s heat source. Contact Earth Energy Systems, your go-to company for residential heating services in WI to get your home ready for the cold.

Whether you need some routine maintenance work done on your heating equipment or would like a checkup for efficiency, Earth Energy can help. If you want to take some measures toward energy efficiency on your own, follow this checklist to begin getting your home winter ready.

Do a Leak-Check

Check around doors and windows, electric wall plugs, fireplace dampers, and heating ducts are all common sources of heat loss. Invest in a little weather stripping, caulking, or or pre-cut foam gaskets to plug any spots cold air could sneak in. For your furnace vents, get them properly repaired to prevent future leaks and energy loss.

Insulate

Make sure your attic is insulated and seal up any holes that lead from your attic into the main part of your home.

Use Proper Light Bulbs

Making use of energy star approved light bulbs can save energy and it’s as simple as switching out your light bulbs.

These simple tips are a great step towards making your home more energy efficient and readying your space for the cold weather. Most importantly, get your heating system checked to make sure everything is functioning properly and is ready to be turned on when you need it. Contact Earth Energy, your premier provider of residential heating services in WI today!

Why an Outdoor Wood Stove Should be on Your Radar

I know, I know—it’s not quite mid-July. Why am I breaking the unspoken northern-dwellers rule of pretending winter is a season far, far off in the distance? Why would I bring up outdoor wood stoves when temperatures are still hovering in the 80s and 90s?

One word: preparedness. Being prepared for the upcoming winter season may not be the first thing on your mind the week after celebrating the Fourth of July, but this is the perfect time to get your home equipped for the cold that is coming.

About Outdoor Wood Stoves

Let’s talk about outdoor wood stoves. An outdoor wood stove is a wood burning unit placed outside of the home that that heats via a boiler system. This heat is transferred underground into your home and distributed throughout by way of your furnace blower. Simple, effective, and efficient.

Advantages of Wood Heat

Why would you choose to heat your home with wood rather than a conventional propane, electric, or natural gas option? A primary reason homeowners choose this route is financial. Most of your winter utility bill can be eliminated with a wood burning stove and multiple buildings on your property (think garage or shed) can be heated with one stove. Outdoor wood stoves are therefore an excellent choice for folks looking to heat outbuildings as well as their home in a budget friendly, affordable manner.

Considerations to Make

Some considerations to make when thinking about installing an outdoor wood stove: do you have access to wood? Do you have space to install the unit? And if you live in a suburban area, you’re going to want to be sure that the unit you choose is neighbor friendly. Cheaper units tend to emit more smoke than better models, which obviously becomes an issue when neighbors are in close proximity.

Here at Earth Energy Systems, we want to help you stay ahead of the game and be prepared for each coming season. Outdoor wood stoves are one of your heating and cooling options and we’re here to serve you. From Luck to Grantsburg, Danbury to Siren, Spooner to Hayward and beyond, Earth Energy has all of your Wisconsin heating and cooling needs covered. Contact us today!