The temperature in Lowell, MA, fluctuates throughout the year.
Each season brings fresh complications with the weather, then heating and cooling are necessities and we switch between them with little downtime in-between, but the combined cost of running the boiler and air conditioner adds up to about fifty percent of the home’s energy usage! In hopes of reducing expenses, lessening strain on the heating/cooling units and improving comfort, I’ve gone to great lengths to tighten up the thermal envelope.
I invested into Energy Star windows and doors, caulked and weatherstripped. I installed overhead ceiling fans to help push the overheated air down toward the floor in the winter and create a cooling effect in the summer. I make sure the boiler and air conditioner are operating as efficiently as possible by replacing air filters every six weeks and scheduling maintenance in the Spring and fall. I’ve enrolled into a repair plan with a local Heating, Ventilation and A/C business in Lowell. They call and remind me when it’s time to schedule a tune-up… A servicemans comes to the home in the fall to complicationshoot the boiler and repeats the process in the Spring for the air conditioner. He completes a thorough cleaning and adjustment, and once per year, he tests the air duct. While my efforts have helped to slightly reduce bi-weekly energy bills, I also created some problems with indoor air quality. Eliminating natural ventilation traps contaminants indoors, and since there’s rarely an chance to open windows and allow in some fresh air, the same stale air gets circulated over and over, then my Heating, Ventilation and A/C business in Lowell commanded the replacement 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 to lessen demands on the AC. In the winter, the HRV truly utilizes the stale, outgoing air to preheat the incoming air, reducing strain on the boiler. After installing the HRV, I noticed a significant drop in my energy bills.