Preventative Maintenance is the Key to Keeping Your Home Running Efficiently and Saving You Money in the Long Run

Preventative maintenance can make a huge difference between having a mildly efficient home and having a fully efficient home. Air conditioners, furnaces, and even washers and dryers need to be well maintained in order to operate at their best. It is much less difficult or time consuming to maintain your home's efficiency than it is to fix it once you watch the energy bills skyrocket.

For most families, energy costs are one of the biggest challenges of the day. Water use, electricity, natural gas, and heating oil can make up at least fifty percent of the winter time budget. This is a significant amount of money. Of course, the companies that supply these necessities are not ultimately patient about receiving their money. The best way to combat rising energy bills is to keep them as low as possible by using quick and easy maintenance ideas.

Filter changes are an essential part of preventative maintenance. Filters are actually an essential component to helping your furnace and air conditioning units work less. While most households can change their filters twice annually, smaller homes, houses with pets, and homes with indoor smokers should change them at least twice as often. Sometimes more.

By changing the filters the air that is required for use comes in at a steadier rate. The slow moving air that must get through a clogged filter creates a higher level of effort for the unit in question. The flow of air comes when it is needed when the filters are clean and the unit requires less energy while getting its job done faster.

Water based appliances also need filter changes and regular cleanings. If your washer tends to get clogged with lint you have to clean it in order for the right amount of water to fill it in the fastest time possible. Clean filtration and unobstructed flow tend to help improve the efficiency of the model. Even high efficiency washers, dishwashers, and water softeners require a very well maintained unit in order to provide the maximum results for the least amount of power.

While preventative maintenance may not seem like it is going to save that much money, when you start to total everything together you will notice that a drop on your energy bill is inevitable. Once you are able to start a simple routine maintenance plan your energy use and cut and the wear and tear on your units are reduced.