Lifestyle - Change your Furnacr Filter

Change your Furnace Filter - Change the World

There are a lot of things you cannot change, but your furnace filter is not one of them. By
replacing your furnace filter you can increase the efficiency of your furnace and decrease
your utility bill. Heating your home more efficiently helps you and helps the planet. Just
think, if every household saves a little energy through a little effort, we most certainly can
change the world.

And this change is a quick and inexpensive one. You do not need to buy a costly filter; it is
the act of changing the filter frequently that provides the most benefit. It is much better to
spend $8.00 total on four filters that you change once a month, than $8.00 total on one filter
that you do not change for four months. Dirt is the biggest enemy of your furnace. It can
waste fuel and radically lower efficiency. Removing the filter removes existing dirt and
replacing with a clean filter helps the furnace heat exchanger operate more efficiently and
enables the home to reach the proper temperature more quickly.

Changing a furnace filter is usually quite easy and only requires removal of the access panel.
If you are unsure of the size needed for your unit, remove the old filter and take a look. A
disposable furnace filter consists of a fiber mesh in a cardboard frame. The size of the filter
is printed on the edge of the frame. Write this down, and then put the old filter back in place
until you can buy a new one of the same size.

It is best to replace your filter once a month during periods of continuous use so try to buy
several when you make the purchase. You will be much more likely to actually change them
if it only requires retrieving it from the garage instead of the store.

Now that you have the filter, all you need to do is slide the old one out and slide the new one
in. Be sure to slide it in the same direction. Air flows from the return-air duct toward the
blower, so the arrow on the filter should point away from the return-air duct and toward
the blower. After you have completed this once, it will be a piece of cake in the future.

And speaking of the future, make a reminder note on your calendar to repeat the change
the last day of each month. By the time the calendar turns to spring you will have saved
enough money to buy some flowers or plant a tree to further beautify this world you are
saving.