New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home Comfort

Happy New Year

The entire ClimateCare team wishes you a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2018.

Improving your home comfort is something everyone should resolve to do. And not just in January, but all year long.

Here are some easy-to-keep New Year’s Resolutions for your home comfort.

Resolution: Be smarter at home

Smart thermostats can help accomplish two more popular New Year’s Resolutions:

Save money
Be greener at home

Unlike manual units, smart thermostats learn your household patterns and adapt to them.

Let’s use this tough, cold winter as an example. Let’s say between the hours of 9am-4pm, your home is empty.

A smart thermostat will clue in and proactively turn the heat down while the house is vacant. Just before you get home, it’ll increase the temperature for you.

No wasted energy. No lost money. Now that’s smart.

A smart thermostat home heating system offers other benefits too:

Control energy use from your WiFi-enabled smartphone anytime, anywhere
Get detailed reports on how much energy you use (and where you can save)
Set reminders for things like maintenance visits, filter cleaning, etc.
Receive alerts when the temperature in your home gets too hot or too cold

A smart thermostat does all the work while you enjoy improved home comfort and cut energy use by up to 26%.

Resolution: Schedule (and stick to) regular HVAC maintenance

You know when to visit the doctor for a check-up.

And you know when to get the oil changed on your car.

Why not bring that same sense of responsible care to your HVAC products?

For the most part, your HVAC system is just there and runs whenever you need it to. However, even though it appears healthy, there could be some small ailments impacting its performance.

For example:

Condensation stuck inside your air conditioner’s drain pipes can breed mould and fungus. Preventative AC maintenance can remove anything caught in the piping.
Sometimes, your furnace makes strange (and awful sounding) noises. Furnace care can locate the source of these sounds and can repair, replace, or clean them as needed.

The last thing you want is for your furnace or air conditioner to fail on the coldest or warmest day of the year.

When you set a maintenance schedule, you’re guaranteed to keep this resolution all year long.

Resolution: Stop wasting power

Vampire power

Have you heard of “vampire power?”

That’s the energy appliances draw when they’re just plugged in and not being used.

It may not seem like much (after all, how much power could something small like a countertop blender use?). But when you add it up, it’s quite problematic.

A study by the National Resource Defense Council (US) found that homes lose around $165/year on “vampire power” consumption.
Appliances resting in standby modes generate extra heat. In extreme circumstances, that extra heat can be a fire hazard.
A French study (Campagne de Mesures sur le Fonctionnement en Veille des Appareils Domestiques) all the way back in 2000 concluded “vampire power” accounts for 7% of the entire country’s energy use.

The most common sources of “vampire power” are TVs, computers and kitchen appliances.

To keep this resolution, you can simply unplug any device you don’t use on a regular basis.

For things you do rely on consistently, plug them into a power bar. When the bar is turned off, no “vampire power” gets wasted.

Resolution: Improve the air quality inside your home

Indoor air quality

Dorothy was right: “There’s no place like home.”

And since you spend more time there than anywhere else, shouldn’t the indoor air quality be the best it possibly can?

When you’re home, you shouldn’t have to deal with things like:

Breathing stale air (especially if you have respiratory ailments)
Dry skin
Constantly dusting and cleaning your home
Too much or too little humidity

Fortunately, sticking to this resolution is quite simple (and also very important).

You can:

Upgrade your traditional air filter to a modern HEPA filter.
Get your ducts cleaned on a regular basis.
Invest in an air purifier.
Make sure your home is properly vented.

Resolution: Save money keeping your resolutions

Home comfort is an important part of your household budget. You want to get the most value for your hard-earned money.

That’s why there are plenty of rebates and specials for you to take advantage of.

Whether you’re in the market for new products (and want fair and flexible financing), or simply looking to save on your next tune-up visit, it’s always better when you get to keep more of your money.