Set for Success: Remembering to Change the Air Filter

Changing the air filter in your HVAC system is an easy task, so you might think that it’s not that important. The truth is, setting yourself up for success with filter changes can have a positive impact on your equipment’s performance and longevity, as well as your energy bills, indoor air quality and comfort.

Understanding Why Timely Filter Changes are Important

Your HVAC system requires ample airflow to function properly. If the air filter isn’t changed regularly and becomes clogged with debris, the flow of air through your system declines, and this can cause a ripple effect of problems that include:

• Increased workload and higher-than-necessary energy consumption. As a direct result, you’ll pay more to heat and cool your home.
• Greater risk of equipment break downs and premature component failure due to added strain and wear.
• Difficulty staying comfortable. When conditioned air output decreases, it’s harder to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout your home.
• Drop in indoor air quality. Once the filter becomes clogged, pollutants and irritants will stay circulating in your air supply, and this can worsen the symptoms of allergies and breathing conditions like asthma.

The best way to prevent these problems is to check the air filter every month and replace it when you see any sign of dirt accumulation.

Foolproof Ways to Remember Air Filter Changes

Forgetting to replace the HVAC filter is easy because life is hectic, but there are easy ways to make monthly checks a habit:

• Send yourself a text message. Download a reminder app and you can schedule a date to send a monthly reminder text message to your phone.
• Upgrade to an intelligent thermostat. The smart thermostats available today are designed to streamline your comfort and energy consumption, but they also monitor the system’s performance and alert you automatically to maintenance issues like filter replacements.
• Co-ordinate filter checks with your monthly utility bill payments. Once you do this for a few months, you’ll find that remembering regular filter checks is second nature.

To schedule essential HVAC maintenance for your Lorain-area home, contact us today at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.