HVAC Tips

Research from the Trane Home Comfort Institute shows you'll save about three percent of your heating costs for every degree you lower your thermostat during winter months

During summer, you'll cut cooling costs three to four percent for every degree you raise your thermostat Install a programmable thermostat Programmable thermostats are easy to install and will shave about 10 percent off of your heating and cooling bills, says the Alliance to Save Energy. The average annual savings is about $100. Programmable thermostats often pay for themselves in two years or less.

Programmable thermostats like the Trane XL800, are designed to maximize the performance of your home comfort systems with reliable and accurate temperature control Because you can program them to raise or lower the temperature when you're not home, they also save energy while still maintaining your standard of comfort Maintain bour furnace and air conditioner According to the Alliance to Save Energy, the average household will spend almost $2,100 on home energy costs in 2007, with heating and cooling costs accounting for about one-half of the typical residential energy bill.

Have your local independent Trane dealer perform preventative maintenance before the winter heating and summer cooling seasons begin Asking a professional to tune up your system — every year for oil-fired systems, every two years for gas furnaces and three years for heat pumps — will increase the life of the system, improve energy efficiency, reduce pollutants and save money Know when to replace your appliances If your furnace, air conditioner or other major appliances, such as heat pumps, are more than 10 years old, it may make sense to replace them with newer, more energy efficient models.