ENERGY STAR makes a difference today and tomorrow. In fact, choosing ENERGY STAR can save you up to 30% per year on your energy bills.

Heat & Cool Efficiently. As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home's heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills - and your comfort.

Change your air filter regularly. Check your filter every month, especially during heavy use months (winter and summer). If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it. At a minimum, change the filter every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool - wasting energy. A clean filter will also prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system - leading to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure.

Tune up your HVAC equipment yearly. Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort.

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• Maintain Your Equipment

Install a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat (see link text) is ideal for people who are away from home during set periods of time throughout the week. Through proper use of pre-programmed settings, a programmable thermostat can save you about $150 every year in energy costs.

Seal your heating and cooling ducts. Ducts that move air to-and-from a forced air furnace, central air conditioner, or heat pump are often big energy wasters. Sealing and insulating ducts (see Maintenance Tips) can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent - and sometimes much more.

Consider installing ENERGY STAR qualified heating and cooling equipment. If your HVAC equipment is more than 10 years old or not keeping your house comfortable, you should have it looked at by Egg Systems or another professional HVAC contractor. If it is not performing efficiently or needs upgrading consider replacing it with a unit that has earned the ENERGY STAR. Installed correctly, these high-efficiency heating and cooling units can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs. But before you invest in a new HVAC system, make sure that you have addressed the big air leaks in your house and the duct system. Sometimes, these are the real sources of problems rather than your HVAC equipment.