Today's video I Want to talk about the top five energy wasters that we see in residential HVAC From time to time and then at the end of this video I Want to give you a bonus one that a lot of folks don't think about. They throw money at not realizing that they're actually wasting money on that. Let's get started on the Top five energy Wasters in Residential HVAC Number one is improperly sized heating and air system or duct work. We're going to talk about a number of energy wasters in your home, but the one that I think is probably the most common of our list.

Because we see it day in and day out, it's hard to police it. There's inspections on new construction, but it's rarely caught unless you have a heating and air company that's taking the time to do proper calculations and so on. A lot of times they're just throwing mud on the wall and in a lot of cases, even if it's a small or minuscule problem, whether it be the size of one or the other, a lot of cases it's not a huge deal at face value. But then you start to add up the problem over years and years and years and you start to see what could be hundreds if not thousands dollars thrown away because of this one energy waster.

So a lot of homeowners are in the dark on this, so it's hard to know. It's okay to get a third-party opinion. We're starting to see more home scientist type guys out there that act more as a consultant just to make sure that these things are done properly. They're going to be a lot of times the one that will step in make sure that the calculations on a lot of this stuff is correct.

Number two: one of the biggest energy wasters for heating and air systems is the duct work. What I mean by that is the fact that it's leaky duct work. I've seen some studies saying that as much as 30% of the energy being produced by your heating and air system is actually being wasted by The Leaky duct work in that home. And one of the things we've talked about in some of our videos and we're going to talk about a little bit more in this video is the fact that you can hire someone to install a product by Aeros seal.

and I'll put a link to that company down in the description of this video. but you can have your contractor actually install the product. They can test the duct work before and after so you can know that you're getting what you're paying for. You're going to get better sealed duct work.

You're going to see Some customers have said as much of a savings on their utility bills that within a two or threeyear time period that it actually paid for Aeros seal treatment. That's something I would definitely look into have that duct work tested. They can show you how leaky it is and then after the treatment is done, show you again how leaky the now sealed duct workor are. So if nothing else, if you can't find a contractor that installs that product, then I would say reach out to Aeros Seal.

When you click that link, reach out to them directly and they will link you up with a contractor in your area. That way you can get that done. Number three: Inefficient systems or technology. We've now gotten to a point where we're seeing systems that are well above 20 sear in some cases and we still see folks going with the cheapest thing on the market.

They're at times hiring contractors that won't install anything else. Some homeowners don't even understand that there are other options out there, and you have these heating and air guys that are basically installing heating and air systems with the same technology of 20 or 30 years ago, when in reality there are other options out there. We've got modulating systems, variable speed systems, we've got inverter systems and communicating Technologies and all these different options out there that homeowners are not taking advantage of for one reason or another and it may again be the problem of who you're hiring. I'm seeing that in some parts of the country more than others.

but I think if you turn over enough rocks, make enough phone calls, you might be able to find what you're looking for and someone to install what you're looking for. I would argue that it's a bigger deal on who installs your equipment than the equipment that you're installing, but you want to go with somebody that is giving you the warm fuzzies who has done this before and is willing to look at some of the higher-end more efficient Technologies The arguments that we've heard made from some of these guys for the last five or 10 years are no longer holding water. Arguments such as oh, it just costs so much more, they'll never see enough savings. It's just simply not true.

So I would definitely look at finding someone that will install one of these higher-end systems. If nothing else than to just get a free estimate, see how much more it's going going to be. Number four: Neglected Maintenance or Poor Maintenance A lot of homeowners I Remember talking to a lady recently who told me I didn't even know that my system needed any maintenance and I would say that sometimes that is part of it. A lot of homeowners don't realize how much maintenance that their system actually does need I Think just because they had an old, inefficient system that kind of chugged along that a lot of them didn't understand that a lot of these higher-end systems that we have today do need to be maintained.

They do need to have proper air flow to operate, correct, directly, to give you good performance, and to not be an energy waster a lot of folks would rather instead of paying a pro to properly maintain that system, they'll go to a big box store like one of those hardware stores and buy these filters that are three times the price or or even more of an A standard pleaded filter. and they don't realize the harm that they're actually causing. They think just because it cost more that they're getting better filtration and that must be a good thing not realizing the static pressure that they're adding into that system and the problems that it can cause. And finally, they don't think about the other parts of their heating and air system such as the accessories.

so when they do have a higher-end filtration, they are not having that maintained properly. We did a whole video a while back where we talked about how a lot of the electronic or electrostatic filters on the market are useless because they are not maintained properly. Definitely check out that video If You haven't seen it. I Just had a customer last week who had a humidifier who didn't understand that that humid if fire pad needed to be replaced from time to time and it was starting to literally turn to dust just by touching it, it would crumble in your hands.

Not just neglected maintenance on the heating and air system itself, but all systems when it comes to their home, including the accessories on that heating and air system. And then finally, number five for energy wasters with your HVAC system. And that is. We see homeowners throw money a lot at a zoning problem in their home when it's actually a duct work problem or vice Versa it's a duct work problem and they treat it like it's a zoning problem.

We did a whole video on that as well where it breaks it down and it's easier to tell whether or not you have one or the other. but overall, just having that duct work number one installed properly and also balanced properly. So that way it's not wasting energy when you're having one room that is hotter or colder than the rest. So that's my five.

My bonus: Energy waster or at least money waster that we see folks throw money at all the time is Thermostat location. and you might say, what do you mean by Thermostat location? We see homeowners all the time. I'll actually have people comment on my website new Hbac Guide.com where we help homeowners through the process of buying a heating and air system and understanding all the problems and issues that they're up against. But I've actually had people even comment there and tell me hey, I spent a bunch of money I had the thermostat relocated to a different room I'm still seeing the same issue I've got this room that's hotter or colder than the rest.

My heating and air gu hold me that it's because the thermostat was located in this room versus that room and then they pay all this money to have it relocated and I will tell you in most scenarios that has nothing to do with it, that unless that thermostat is located, say by the front door where that opens and closes, so that might affect its operation. It's not going to remedy an actual zoning or duct work issue in most cases, just because you have one room that's colder than the rest in the winter time. Now moving the thermostat to that room, so that way the heat runs longer, that room is still colder than the rest. It's just going to make the rest of the rooms hotter.

While that room reaches temperature, you didn't actually address the problem. You threw money at it and you wasted that money. So let me know your thoughts. Have you wasted money or do you have an energy waster on your HVAC system? I'd love to hear about that.

If you like this video I Think you'll like this one even more. It's where we talk about five reasons you might have low air flow. Thanks for watching. Hit that subscribe button.

We'll see you next time.