HVACR NewsMagazine December 2017

S tate, National, Chapter News State national Chapter News

Homeowners conserve energy at home to save money (64 percent, down 5 percent from 2016) over helping the environment; however, if money was no object, they said they would be willing to invest in the following to increase energy efficiency: solar panels or appliances (39 percent this year, compared to 32 percent in 2016), more efficient windows (19 percent), high-efficiency air conditioner or furnace (19 percent), insulation (9 percent), programmable thermostat (7 percent), high-efficiency water heater (5 percent). “Saving energy and reducing your electricity bills doesn’t have to take a lot of time and effort. In fact, a few simple actions -- from installing a smart thermostat to keeping air filters clean and changing them regularly -- can help homeowners increase comfort levels, control costs and conserve energy this summer,” said Lennox energy efficiency expert Trent Davis.

percent would be willing to raise their thermostat three to six degrees, while 25 percent would not go any higher than one or two degrees. Changes in weather aren’t the only reason homeowners are motivated to crank up (or down) the A/C. The Lennox Home Energy Report Card survey indicated homeowners adjust the temperature on their thermostat when sleeping (57 percent), entertaining (46 percent), cooking (21 percent), exercising (14 percent) and “making whoopee” (12 percent). The survey also found that nearly half of American homeowners will turn on their air conditioning system for the first time of the year in May or June, while 7 percent of home owners run their A/C system year-round. While many people proactively take positive actions toward lowering energy bills, some do earn a failing grade for doing more harm than good. Twenty-four percent of homeowners said they have turned off their cooling system completely during hot days, or turned off heating systems on extremely cold days, to help conserve energy . “While turning off your air conditioning system seems like a good idea in theory, it actually is forcing the unit to work harder,” said Davis. “Doing so uses more energy and therefore costs the homeowners more in the end. Instead of turning your system on and off, we recommend

Pop Quiz: Thermostat 101

While homeowners show that they are willing to take steps to conserve energy, they are not likely to sacrifice their comfort over savings. When asked how willing homeowners are to turn the thermostat up to save $50 a month on their utility bill, 39