Gary's Quick Tip

With the cold front coming later this week (I hear it could get as low as 30 degrees), I have a few helpful hints that can save you money on your electric bills and keep your system running more efficiently.

I always recommend you check your filters.  Air flow is crucial for your homes heating system.  Purchase the cheap, basic filters.  They allow for more air flow and don't make your system work as hard.

Once the outside temperature is below 40 degrees, frost forms on your roof.  Set your systems thermostat to between 72-80 degrees letting it maintain that setting.  I recommend a 2 degree cooler setting at night for a heat pump system knowing that you will turn the thermostat up again in the morning.  Heat pumps also have a defrost cycle that removes icy build up from the outside condenser coil.  This defrost cycle kicks on every 90 minutes as needed for about 10 minutes at a time.  When the cycle is competed the system will automatically go back into heating mode.  If you hear a noise from time to time from your heat pump and it feels like cold air is blowing, don't turn off your system.  Let the defrost cycle timer switch back into heating mode.  In a gas furnace the temperature will rise faster than a heat pump.

Remember, maintaining one setting on cold nights saves you money and your system will work less in the morning hours.

For more helpful and money-savings tips, keep checking back with Sun City Mechanical.