How do you maintain comfort in your Central Utah home while keeping energy costs within your budget?
Saving money on your utility bills can be a challenge year-round. Weather extremes like scorching summers and frigid winter nights can make it seem like nothing you do will rein in costs.
However, you can take simple steps to curb energy expenses, and you do not have to invest much money to get started.
5 Money-Saving HVAC Tips
Our experts at Gillette Services – Plumbing, Heating & Air compiled five HVAC tips to help you save money without skimping on heating or cooling this year.
Gillette Services – Plumbing, Heating & Air is committed to providing our customers with expert advice and top-notch services. We are here to help, whether you need an HVAC tune-up, repairs, or installation. We offer solutions to improve HVAC system efficiency and enable you to stay comfortable in 2025.
Here are our top five tips for boosting system efficiency while lowering utility bills:
#1 Embrace Maintenance
Preventative maintenance is a powerful and essential tool in the HVAC management toolbox. Your heating and cooling system thrives on regular maintenance, just like your vehicle runs best when you regularly change its oil.
You barely need to lift a finger to maintain your HVAC system. When you schedule a system tune-up, we do 99 percent of the work, including installing a clean air filter.
We also suggest you inspect your air filter every month and replace it if it is dirty, following your owner’s manual for guidance on the frequency of filter changes. A clean air filter improves airflow and reduces strain on your heating and cooling unit, lowering energy consumption and costs.
Why Maintenance is Essential
Preventative maintenance effectively boosts energy efficiency by cleaning and lubricating components, inspecting for wear, and identifying and addressing minor issues before they escalate into costly breakdowns. It also ensures safety from electrical hazards, gas leaks, and component failure that leads to toxic carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
We recommend scheduling heating system tune-ups in the fall and cooling unit maintenance in the spring. Consider twice-yearly checkups for your heat pump, which provides heating and cooling year-round.
Consider a Maintenance Plan
You do not have to sign up for a maintenance plan to schedule an annual HVAC checkup, but if you want added benefits, our Gillette Advantage Plan may be perfect for your needs. It offers preseason scheduling, priority service, maintenance reminders, repair savings, and our multi-point inspection.
#2 Optimize Your Thermostat
If you lower your thermostat setting in the winter and dial it up in the summer, you will save on energy bills, but it might get uncomfortable in your home. After changing the setting, you will not notice the cool or warm environment if you are away from home or asleep.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recommends setting the thermostat from 68° to 70° Fahrenheit when you are awake at home in the winter. Lower it when you leave or go to bed. In the summer, increase your preferred setting when sleeping or away.
The DOE says you can save up to 10 percent a year on heating and cooling by turning your thermostat back 7° to 10° Fahrenheit from your temperature preference for eight hours daily
A few takeaways:
- Remembering to change the thermostat setting is key to saving money.
- When you return home and set your preferred temperature, you may feel uncomfortable while your living space either heats up or cools down, depending on the season.
- Changing the setting is inconvenient if you remember to do it while in bed or away from home.
Install a Smart Thermostat
Upgrade your standard thermostat to a programmable or smart model to better control the comfort in your home.
A programmable thermostat enables you to schedule temperature changes throughout the week. You decide in advance when to dial the temperature up or down, and your thermostat will automatically follow your directions. You will not experience inconvenience or feel uncomfortable as you would with a standard thermostat.
You can manually input temperature settings or program them on a smart thermostat. Some smart thermostats even learn your temperature preferences and home occupancy patterns and adjust settings automatically.
A smart thermostat connects with your home Wi-Fi, enabling you to use your smartphone or tablet as a controller and change temperature settings from anywhere.
Smart thermostats are a game-changer for energy efficiency and cost savings. Ask our HVAC pros at Gillette how installing a smart thermostat can help you!
#3 Optimize Your HVAC
A drafty house with inadequate insulation and leaky windows can impact HVAC efficiency. Be sure to insulate your floors, walls, and attic to maintain a consistent temperature and reduce stress on your unit. Your heating and cooling system will work more efficiently and help lower your energy bills.
Close gaps around windows and doors with caulk and weatherstripping. Place draft blockers at the bottom of all exterior doors and on window sills to stop cold air from entering your home. Cover drafty windows with plastic sheeting or consider upgrading to energy-efficient windows.
Regularly change the air filter in your HVAC unit, following the manufacturer’s directions.
Keep the area around your outdoor heat pump or air conditioning unit free of debris, foliage, lawn furniture, and other objects. Use the same strategy for your indoor furnace by removing storage boxes and other items from its proximity. Move furniture, drapes, and other items obstructing air vents to maintain good airflow to and from your heating and cooling system.
#4 Use Your Ceiling Fan
Ceiling fans can reduce the workload on your HVAC system by distributing air more evenly in your home.
When your fan runs clockwise in winter, it pushes warm air near the ceiling down towards you. Reverse the fan’s direction in the summer to create a cool breeze. You will reduce your reliance on your HVAC unit while maintaining your comfort.
#5 Window Coverings
Open drapes on south-facing windows during the winter to welcome sunshine into your home. The sun’s rays will heat rooms that face south, enabling you to drop the thermostat setting and save energy.
Keep drapes, blinds, or curtains closed tightly at night. Consider installing thermal curtains, a cost-effective way to help insulate drafty windows. They prevent heated air from escaping and cold air from seeping into your home.
Start Saving on Energy Bills Today!
By following our money-saving HVAC tips, you can curb energy costs without skimping on comfort in your home. For more heating and cooling solutions from Gillette Services – Plumbing, Heating & Air, call us at (801) 465-7760 or request service online
