Key Points
- HVAC energy waste is common for homeowners using an outdated system, an improperly-sized unit, hardware that’s ill-suited for the climate, or dealing with insulation or sealing issues along doors, windows, and ductwork.
- Ignoring ice on outdoor coils, failing to change the air filter regularly, and leaving dirt in the system are all avoidable causes of HVAC energy waste.
- Relying on auxiliary heat, leaving windows or doors open instead of running the AC, and misusing a programmable thermostat also lead to your HVAC system wasting energy.
Facts are facts: Life is expensive. My mom and her siblings will occasionally reminisce about their childhood during family gatherings, discussing their favorite penny candies from the corner store and how the neighborhood they grew up in has changed over the decades. I can’t recall a time I’ve ever paid a single cent and gotten anything worthwhile in return. I grew up with parents who preached, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” but what does that mean in a post-penny production world? If you ask me, it's another reason to keep better tabs on our spending.
What if I told you that one of your most important home appliances, your HVAC system, could be draining your finances? Energy waste is just that: unnecessary energy use. Energy waste from heating and cooling hardware is surprisingly common, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for squandering away money. With IWAE on your side, you can breathe easy. With our list of common HVAC energy waste causes and the solutions to fix each one, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to optimize your climate control system and save money along the way.
Top 10 HVAC Energy Waste Traps to Avoid
10. Your System Is Improperly Sized
Right off the bat, ask yourself a few questions about your heating and cooling system:
- Do you know the tonnage of your AC condenser?
- Do you know the number of BTUs in your furnace?
- Do you know how to check if your HVAC hardware is the right size for your living space?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, verifying this information should be step number one. Check your owner’s manuals to figure out what size your HVAC units are. After you’ve crunched the numbers (or called in a qualified professional to tackle the task), you may find that some of your HVAC equipment isn’t the proper size for your home. This is a major source of HVAC energy waste. When you want to know the best fit for your space, conduct a Manual J Load Calculation. A Manual J Load Calculation is used to determine what size HVAC system you need based on a variety of factors, such as:
- Square footage
- Number of occupants
- Ceiling height
- Climate zone
- Number of large appliances
Modern heating and cooling systems are sized to properly and efficiently control the climate in specific amounts of space. Choosing a system that’s too small for your home will force the equipment to work too hard trying to compensate for the additional space, wasting energy and money in the process. Investing in too large a system will lead to similar issues, often leaving the indoor space uncomfortable as well. Outfitting your home with the right-sized hardware is crucial.
9. You Haven't Cleaned Your HVAC System
Consider all the cleaning you already do around the house: vacuuming the floors, dusting the furniture, washing the dishes, handling the laundry, and so much more. Don’t forget outdoor tasks like cutting the grass and clearing out the gutters! That’s a lot to balance, but the act doesn’t stop there: your heating and cooling system also needs regular maintenance and cleaning. Leaving your system dirty impedes airflow and leads to corrosion, leaving you footing the bill for HVAC energy waste. At the end of the day, anything that forces your system to work harder to do its job decreases its operational efficiency, so keeping up with cleaning tasks is vital. This includes:
- Changing or cleaning your air filter regularly. Most air filters need maintenance every 1-3 months, but the frequency will vary by the IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) of your home.
- Dirt and debris can stick to the evaporator and condenser coils. Remove buildup with a soft brush to prevent particulates from entering the refrigerant stream and causing further issues and efficiency decreases.
- Keep grass, twigs, trash, and other debris out of the vents and grill of your outdoor condenser. Blocked airflow forces the system to work harder, potentially leading to overheating and other complications. All of this will raise your energy bill.
- Check the ductwork and air vents of your central system. Dust and dirt can accumulate in the ductwork and attach to the vent registers, blocking airflow and pushing allergens into your living space. Restricted airflow is as dangerous as blocked airflow.
8. Your HVAC Is Outdated or Inefficient
Can you remember when your HVAC system was installed? Maybe you’re using the same hardware that came with the house when you purchased it all those years ago. Technology is constantly progressing, and those advancements leave outdated HVAC hardware using more energy than modern equipment. Older systems are one of the most common causes of HVAC energy waste. An easy way to date your system is to check what type of refrigerant the hardware supports. If you’re still running with R-22 refrigerant, an option that was phased out in 2010 to make way for R-410A, it’s time to look for a more efficient HVAC system.
Pro tip: The refrigerant standard as of 2025 calls for R-454B or R-32.
HVAC technology has come a long way in recent years. Your condenser removes the sultry heat from your home, transforming the space into an oasis of cool temperatures, crisp airflow, and controlled humidity. Modern heat pumps, ACs, and furnaces adhere to stricter efficiency requirements than the equipment allowed in the previous standards. Newer hardware benefits from the additional years of computer-aided engineering, technological advancement, and R&D (research and development). Investing in a high-efficiency system, while taking advantage of local utility and state incentives and rebates, is a smart decision for maximizing savings over time. The upfront cost of an efficient HVAC system can be steep, but that doesn’t have to leave you suffering from inadequate climate control! IWAE is partnered with Bread Pay to offer financing options that make it affordable to upgrade.
7. You Have Insufficient Insulation, Drafty Doors, and Improperly Sealed Ductwork
Even if you invest in a 98% AFUE gas furnace that uses the very best heat exchanger on the market and a state-of-the-art blower motor, an improperly sealed and insulated home will leave you wasting energy and money. How do you know if your home needs some TLC? If you can see daylight through a crack in the frame of your door or window, you're losing conditioned air. Remember: the more extreme the temperature difference is between outside and indoors during summer and winter, the harder your unit has to work. Hiring a contractor to blow additional insulation into your attic is not as expensive as you might think, so don’t delay if you find that your home needs the extra defense from outside influence. Contractors can also seal your foundation, a precaution that protects against frozen pipes in plummeting temperatures.
Pro tip: Check out our How to Winterize Your Home post to learn the ins and outs of home sealing, the different types of insulation, and more!
6. You Don't Have a Programmable Thermostat
Almost every home in the U.S. has a thermostat controlling its HVAC system. For those who don’t know the benefits of programmable thermostats, the average homeowner can save up to 10% on energy use every year when using the hardware properly. Many people who have a programmable thermostat don’t use the equipment as intended. In a situation where you spend about $100 a month on electricity, or $1200 a year, around $120 would be contributed to improper use of a programmable thermostat in homes that have one installed, but are underutilized. Find the thermostat’s user manual, read it, and program your thermostat. After that, you can relax while your HVAC system handles the rest.
5. You Rely on Open Doors and Windows Too Much
Modern-day HVAC solutions are designed to work in well-insulated, weather-proofed homes. Leaving doors and windows open while the AC is a well-known waste of energy, but the energy loss doesn’t stop there. A common HVAC myth many people have is that the best option to save money on hot summer days is to turn the air conditioner off and leave the windows and doors open while they're gone instead. What this actually leads to is your AC having to work significantly harder to cool the house down when you turn the system back on than it would to maintain an even temperature throughout the day. Instead, adjust the temperature about 10 degrees higher than you want. This will keep your unit from running full strength all day, while also avoiding the overwork of changing the temperature by 20 or 30 degrees once you’re home.
Pro tip: Program your thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature based on your work schedule! That’ll save energy while you’re gone and ensure comfort when you’re home.
4. You Rely on Auxiliary Heating Too Much
Folks who live in Alaska or other northern states know the bone-chilling cold that winter can create; they also know how expensive it can be to stay warm through harsh blizzards. Humanity has tried all sorts of things to save money during extreme cold, but one of the worst is relying on inferior heating systems. Solutions like closing the vents in certain rooms of your house, shutting the doors to those rooms, then lowering the thermostat, just to turn on a space heater in another room, are a common sign that you’re using an inferior heating system that leads to HVAC energy waste. Relying on an electric space heater when you have a gas furnace is far more expensive in terms of capacity. Your central heating and air system is designed to heat your whole house. Turning off vents and closing doors for long periods of time really doesn't do much to save money, but it can make your furnace work less efficiently. Improper sizing, outdated equipment, and dirty hardware can cause your furnace to fall short of your needs, so be sure to find the right cause of why you’re not staying warm during winter.
3. You Haven't Changed or Cleaned Your Air Filter
Your nose traps pollen, dust, pet dander, and other pollutants from entering your lungs. Imagine if you didn't blow your nose for six months. A year. If that’s how long it’s been since you changed your HVAC air filter, imagine how stuffed your system must be! The same particulates that get stopped in your nose can build up in the air filter and wreak havoc in your heating and cooling system if the filter isn’t changed or cleaned regularly. Air filter monitoring and maintenance are integral. Keeping up with your air filter is strictly beneficial, saving you money by maintaining operational efficiency and preventing corrosion that leads to mechanical failure and costly repairs. Air filters are affordable, easy to find, and a breeze to install. Swapping one out takes minutes, so there’s no excuse for ignoring such an important piece of HVAC equipment.
2. You've Left Ice On Your Outdoor Coils
Have you ever noticed ice buildup on the coils of your outdoor condenser? Ignoring the problem leads to HVAC energy waste, but can cause the entire unit to fail. When your air conditioner or heat pump develops a coat of ice on the coils, it indicates there’s an issue. Sure, some heat pumps have a defrost cycle that can melt ice before starting the heat cycle, but since the function is intended for frost, that “fix” leads to excess energy use. Righting the problem at its core is the best option. Some common causes of ice buildup on condenser coils are:
- Condensate may be building up within the system. Check the drain and drain pan for clogs and other issues. Remove any blockages and ensure the condensate can flow out.
- Refrigerant levels in the coils may be low. Call in a trained HVAC professional to check the levels and replace any lost coolant if you suspect this is the case.
- Believe it or not, you could unintentionally be using a walk-in to cool your home. Options like MrCool's Compact Refrigeration System provide powerful cooling for the smaller space they're intended for, but they can't cool your entire home. The fix for this is easy: get a proper AC or heat pump system to cool your home.
1. Your HVAC System Is Not Suited for Your Climate Zone
Not every HVAC solution is built the same, so choosing the wrong option for your needs can lead to a crash course in energy waste. A house in Wisconsin trying to maintain cozy indoor temperatures using an electric furnace is far from the most cost-effective solution. In a situation like this, where harsh northern winters need to be contended with, you'll find the best way to save money over time is investing in a natural gas or LP furnace.
Upgrade to an Energy-Efficient HVAC Solution
At the end of the day, the best solution when you’re tired of dealing with a struggling HVAC is to replace the old hardware with a new, high-efficiency system. We’ve gone through some of our favorite energy-efficient systems in the past, but new systems are coming out all the time! If you’re looking for the right upgrade, check out some of the latest and greatest options we have available:
Avoid HVAC Energy Waste with IWAE
Avoiding energy waste is important for your pocketbook, your comfort, and the environment as a whole. Saving energy with an efficient HVAC solution isn’t a new concept, but it can be a difficult decision to make when finances are tight. Geothermal systems especially have next-level efficiency, but the initial cost reflects this jump in performance. IWAE makes it easy to afford your next heating and cooling system with options from our outlet that pass markdown prices from purely cosmetic damage directly to you. Pairing these discounted prices with our Rent-to-Own program can make getting an expensive system a much easier pill to swallow. If you want to learn more about our scratch & dent HVAC units or any other energy-efficient options we have available, reach out to our team. With IWAE in your court, you’re guaranteed an HVAC slam dunk.
