GREENSBORO, N.C. — BRRRRR. These next few days, you'll be turning up the thermostat and that means next month you'll be seeing it in your bill.
If you're looking for a way to save money on heat, here's what not to do.
"Homeowners will just turn the vents off. These systems are designed to move a certain amount of airflow and if we're choking down the system in any way, then we're starving it which will cause breakdowns and higher utility costs," said Bradon Fisher, VP of HVAC Services for Berico.
#1 Don't close vents in rooms you're not using. It doesn't make the house any warmer and it hurts the system.
#2 Open your blinds when it's sunny to let the warmth in.
#3 Change your air filters. It's no longer once a year. The Berico experts say to check and see what your air filter looks like every 30 days.
"One of the biggest causes for breakdowns is airflow and if the system is not able to properly breathe you'll notice the system is not going to run properly. It's kinda like your car. If you're driving and a bag flies up and gets stuck on your radiator you'll start to notice your car will run hot, same thing with the air conditioning system," said Fisher.
You may not need to change your air filter every 30 days but you need to check to make sure it doesn't look like this filter here. A good rule of thumb is on the first of the month, check those filters.
The experts from Berico joined us for a live Q&A last week. They answered viewer text questions about HVAC issues.