Energy Savings Ideas With A Whole-House Approach For Central Florida Homeowners

As the price of energy increases, you may be wondering how you can reduce your home’s energy consumption and lower your monthly utility bills. The Energy Star website is a great resource for those of you in the Orlando area. Energy Star is a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored program that provides useful information on how homeowners can save energy, save money and even protect the environment.

If the HVAC equipment in your home is more than 10 years old, you should consider replacing it with a high-efficiency system. Homeowners in the Orlando area should select an Energy Star-qualified A/C unit that has a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) above 14.5 or a gas furnace with a minimum annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) rating of 80 percent. By selecting Energy Star-qualified models, you can lower the cost of your monthly utility bills.

Selecting the correct water heater also will play a role in your home’s ability to save energy. Water heaters represent up to 25 percent of your home’s energy consumption. The efficiency of a water heater is measured by its Energy Factor (EF). For Orlando homes, look for models with at least .62 EF.

Replacing your windows with more efficient models can also produce energy savings.  Window efficiency is determined by how well they are able to insulate (U-factor rating) and how well they block heat caused by sunlight (SHGC rating). For homes in the Orlando area, consider windows with a U-factor of less than 0.55 and a SHGC ratings of less than 0.35.

Some other recommendations that will increase your home’s energy savings are:

• Seal air leaks in ductwork
• Add more insulation
• Install a programmable thermostat
• Replace light fixtures with Energy Star-qualified lighting
• Apply a ceramic window film to reduce heat in the home by lowering SHGC

By taking these steps, you can lower the amount of energy your home consumes and reduce the cost of your monthly utility bills by as much as 30 percent. For further information on you can how improve the way your home uses energy, contact the experts at Rinaldi’s Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Rinaldi’s services Orlando, Florida and the surrounding areas. To get started, check out our website or see our current specials.