The temperature in Lowell, MA, fluctuates throughout the year; Each season brings fresh troubles with the weather; Heating plus cooling are necessities plus my friend and I switch between them with little downtime in-between. The combined cost of running the furnace plus cooling system adds up to about fifty percent of the home’s energy usage! In hopes of reducing expenses, lessening strain on the heating/cooling units plus improving comfort, I’ve gone to good lengths to tighten up the thermal envelope. I invested into Energy Star windows plus doors, caulked plus weatherstripped. I installed overhead ceiling fans to help push the moderate air down toward the floor in the winter season plus create a cooling effect in the summer. I make sure the furnace plus cooling system are operating as efficiently as possible by replacing air filters every six weeks plus scheduling maintenance in the Spring plus fall. I’ve enrolled into a maintenance plan with a local Heating & A/C contractor in Lowell. They call plus remind me when it’s time to schedule a tune-up. A professionals comes to the home in the fall to troubleshoot the furnace plus repeats the process in the Spring for the cooling system. He completes a thorough cleaning plus adjustment, plus once per year, he tests the HVAC duct… While my efforts have helped to slightly reduce weekly energy bills, I also created some problems with indoor air quality. Eliminating natural ventilation traps contaminants indoors, then since there’s rarely an choice to open windows plus allow in some fresh air, the same stale air gets circulated over plus over! My Heating & A/C contractor in Lowell suggested the upgrade of a heat recovery ventilator or HRV. The component works to introduce fresh air into the living environment without energy losses. It helps with humidity in the summer time to lessen demands on the AC. In the winter, the HRV actually utilizes the stale, outgoing air to preheat the incoming air, reducing strain on the furnace. After installing the HRV, I noticed a significant drop in my energy bills.