An Energy Efficient Home is About More than Just Your Furnace

If you've looked into investing in a heat pump or a high efficiency furnace, then you've taken a great step toward a more energy efficient home. But an efficient unit isn't a magic bullet when it comes to cutting down on your energy bills.

In fact, even if you have the most efficient unit on the market, you could still be losing energy due to inefficiencies in other parts of your system or other areas of your home. Below is a list of some of the problems that can occur in areas outside of your furnace that can result in a less energy efficient home:

• Air leaks in your ducts: Leaks in your air ducts can come from improper sealing when they were installed, accidental damage or natural loosening and deterioration over the years. If air is escaping from your ductwork, your home could be losing heat and wasting energy.
• Improper duct sizing: Another problem that can come from the installation stage is improper sizing. If your ducts aren't sized to fit the specifications of your home, the distribution of your air could be off balance and you could be losing energy.
• Air leaks in windows and doors: One of our winterization tips is to weatherstrip and caulk your windows and doors in order to avoid air leaks. Without the proper improvements on your windows and doors, you could be letting cold air in your house and warm air out, which makes your furnace work harder than it needs to.
• Poor insulation: A large percentage of energy loss in homes can be linked to poor insulation. Without it, heat has a hard time staying in your home and your furnace has to work overtime.

If you have any questions about making your home more energy efficient, or would like have your house evaluated by our BPI certified professionals, contact Comfort Incorporated, your Oklahoma City HVAC company.