A lot of people like to take advice from their friends and family. Unfortunately, not all advice is sage advice. There are a number of common home energy myths out there that are leading homeowners in the wrong direction.

Here are four of the most common home energy myths out there and the reality behind them:

• A new, more efficient HVAC system will drastically reduce heating and cooling costs. You’ll see your heating and cooling costs go down, but not to the extent you might expect. If your new HVAC system is oversized or installed incorrectly, you can end up losing a great deal of efficiency. You need to have a trained HVAC professional properly size your new system before the installation.
• Turning your thermostat drastically up and down can warm and cool your home faster. Both are false. Most home HVAC systems run at one speed. This means that your system won’t heat or cool your home any faster if you change the thermostat dramatically.
• Keeping lights and small devices on all the time is more efficient than turning them off when they’re not in use. Some small devices require a small surge of power to turn on. However, this surge is nothing compared to the amount of energy wasted to keep the device on when it’s not in use.
• Energy efficient appliances and equipment cost too much. Efficient appliances and equipment are often sold as premium items that come with a lot of extra features on top of the efficiency. Is the higher price for efficiency or the extra features? Studies have shown that there’s little correlation to the cost and efficiency of a refrigerator. Plus, a properly sized high-efficiency HVAC system can actually cost you less than an oversized less-efficient model.

Don’t let these common home energy myths side track your efforts to lower energy use. Call the experts at Powers Heating & Cooling for all of your home comfort and energy efficiency needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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