No, this is not one of those post telling you to send me your money in exchange for information on how to buy the things you need at “wholesale” prices.  Nor is it some scam where I collect your money and in return send you a list of sites for secret purchasing groups.  This is simply a way to save hundreds on your heating/cooling and doctors bills and potentially thousands by protecting one of the most important appliances in your home.  Actually, some of the more handy people out there will not even have to spend a penny!

I’m talking about your Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.  You know, the thing that keeps you cool in the heat and warm in the cold.  Many people take steps to ensure that most things in their lives are well maintained to prevent breakdown like their computers, cars, dryers, etc. but a majority neglect to take care of their HVAC systems, save for changing the filter every 3 months (if that).  The problem is that preventative maintenance on the HVAC system not only extends the life of the unit, but impacts one’s health in addition.

• cardizem iv

I always change my filter every 3 months or so, and I also use a higher-end, electrostatic filter to eliminate more of the allergens in my condo (no, it’s not the most cost-conscious choice, but I have allergies and I find they work much better).  Still, recently I had noticed that at night I felt worse than I did during the day when I was not at home or when the air was not on.  I would start coughing out of the blue, and feel like I was short of breath even though I was perfectly fine all day.  Then one day, I thought about checking the coils on my HVAC unit, and sure enough, it was filled with dirt and mold.  The reason I felt worse at night was that the mold was not being spread until the air kicked in during the evening hours.

So, what does all of this have to do with the title of this post?  Everything!  For starters, having a filthy air coil means that:

1. The ducts & vents, being part of the system as a whole are most likely filled with dust, dirt and/or mold
2. The system has to work longer to push the air through and reach the thermostat setting
3. Some of the stuff on the coil is going to be pushed through the home

prilosec suspension

Having the system run for extended amounts of time due to blockage is inefficient in the sense that not only will it increase your utility bill, but the added strain on the system leads to a diminished lifespan.  Having dust and mold particles being pumped through the home leads to irritation and possible infection causing medical expenses to increase either for doctor visits an/or medications.  Simply put, you could be wasting quite a bit of money.  Sure, the copay for doctor visits may not be much, and neither may the medication under certain insurance plans.  But, if you take those costs, and add them to the unnecessary portion of your utility bill, and the potential cost or an HVAC replacement, then you are talking quite a bit of money.

The savings can be found in your local ValPak/Clipper/SmartSaver.  Many companies offer cheap services for duct cleaning and coil sanitizing.  The prices I have seen have been anywhere from $20-$50 for basic services, and more for premium all-inclusive services.  If you are handy, you can always save the cash and try to do it all yourself, but for a nominal fee it may just be easier to call in a licensed and bonded professional.  I’ve heard from others who have used the services in the past and most of them agree that they see significant savings on their utility bills after the services were performed.  A couple people have had negative comments, but those were simply gripes about the service professional not arriving on time, or the fact that a bit of a mess was left behind.

Regardless of whether you decide to hire someone or to do it yourself, this project is a rather important one.   Aside from saving money each month on utility bills, and preventing the need to spend money on a replacement HVAC unit, isn’t your health worth the small monetary and/or time investment?

This entry was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 1:27 pm and is filed under general. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.