How to Cut Heating and Cooling Costs Without Upgrading Your HVAC System

As a homeowner in Oregon or Washington, you experience temperatures that can hit extreme highs and lows in different seasons. Significant rises in costs to your energy bills often come as a result.

Running your HVAC system a little harder during extreme weather seasons runs the risk of reducing its efficiency, increasing its wear and tear, and ultimately shortening its lifespan depending on how strong the system is.

So how can heating and cooling costs be cut without replacing or upgrading the HVAC system?

Retention is Key

Containing all of the heat or cooled air inside the house and preventing air from entering or leaving the building is vital. By trapping all the air inside, your HVAC systems will likely work less and can run less often to maintain a consistent temperature indoors.

Here are ways to prioritize retention effectively:

• Seal air leaks around the building
• Insulate attics and crawl spaces
• Insulate and seal ductwork

Oftentimes, air leaks are hidden and tough to identify. The leaks are responsible for undetected air loss, forcing HVAC systems to work harder to keep up with the temperature loss. Our experts suggest sealing all air leaks around the house before insulating, as doing so ensures the temperature inside stays consistent by preventing drafts and reducing the exchange of indoor/outdoor air.

Strong insulation retains heat or cooled air by slowing the air movement within its structure and trapping it. However, a poor insulation system will lead to temperature fluctuations, heat and cool loss, reduced energy efficiency, structural damages, and even health issues from increased allergens or mold growth.

Therefore, it is essential that you remove old, damaged insulation and air sealing systems before insulating to a higher insulation level.

Focusing on Lesser-Prioritized Areas

When looking into areas to prioritize regarding insulation or air sealing, attics are seen as “A priority” while areas like basements and crawl spaces are seen as “B priority.” Harry Thomas, our certified energy consultant, stresses the importance of focusing on “B priority” areas such as crawl spaces, which often get overlooked when looking for ways to prevent heat loss through retention strategies.

Basements and crawl spaces are critical to properly insulate and air seal because despite these areas being responsible for heat and cool loss, they are also prone to moisture, mold, and pest infestations.

Encapsulation can involve sealing all vents and the entire crawl space area with a vapor barrier. It also helps…

• control moisture and mold
• improve air quality
• keep out pests and insects
• reduce the risk of structural damages

Properly Insulating Ductwork

Ductwork insulation and encapsulation is often overlooked when considering issues with air leakage or flow. Leaks in duct systems can result in losing nearly 25-40% of heated or cooled air, which causes HVAC systems to work harder to keep up with the rapid energy loss.

Ducts are used in HVAC systems and are responsible for distributing and circulating air throughout the house to maintain proper airflow in the systems. It is key that ducts are properly insulated and encapsulated to ensure air is properly distributed throughout the house, and that air is not lost or wasted through poor duct systems.

Contact Experts

At Josh Lowe’s Dr. Energy Saver, we offer air sealing services, insulation installations, crawl space encapsulations, ductwork sealing and replacement, and free energy audits, so contact us at 541-485-2282 to learn more about saving on your heating and cooling costs today!