Hint to save on your Air Conditioning/Electric Bills. (house, refrigerator)

[LBTRS]

I just had an A/C guy come over to check out my units before it gets hot out and he took one look at the filters I was using in my house (A/C & Heating filters) and said they are way too restrictive and costing me $800-$1000 extra a year in energy costs. I've been using the expensive ones that are supposed to filter the air. He said I need to use the cheap "EZ Flow" ones that allow the proper air to move through the system and will do a much better job cooling and heating my home.

Just swapped them out and I'll let you know if it makes any difference over the summer but wanted to pass it on and see if anyone else had information on this?

[khuntrevor]

I agree, and that has been stated here that it is best to get 5 packs of cheap filters and just replace them every month. Having a clogged is quite a bit worse than none at all. Happy cooling.

[AZ bound]

On the cheap filter side, is that letting more particles into the air?
I'm new to AZ, and I have NEVER seen dust like the amount that flys around here on a daily basis.

[Pink Jazz]

Typically, any filter with a MERV rating higher than 12 (or equivalently MPR 1500 in the case of 3M Filtrete filters) is too restrictive for most residential air conditioning systems; they are typically designed for commercial HVAC systems.

However, a MERV rating that is too low (such as the cheap fiberglass filters) can also increase energy costs, since the filters go bad much more quickly, causing the air conditioner to work harder. Because of this, I would disagree about using the cheap EZ Flow filters. Typically, I'd recommend a MERV rating from 6 to 12 in a typical residential air conditioning system, which is what most of the newest ones are designed to use.

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by Andros 1337

Typically, any filter with a MERV rating higher than 12 (or equivalently MPR 1500 in the case of 3M Filtrete filters) is too restrictive for most residential air conditioning systems; they are typically designed for commercial HVAC systems.

However, a MERV rating that is too low (such as the cheap fiberglass filters) can also increase energy costs, since the filters go bad much more quickly, causing the air conditioner to work harder. Because of this, I would disagree about using the cheap EZ Flow filters. Typically, I'd recommend a MERV rating from 6 to 12 in a typical residential air conditioning system.

So are these cheap "EZ Flow" filters that he told me about the ones to use if I change them monthly?

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

So are these cheap "EZ Flow" filters that he told me about the ones to use if I change them monthly?

I don't know why he told you to use them. They will go bad very quickly, and will NOT reduce your energy costs by much (if at all). Most modern residential air conditioners are designed to use filters with a MERV rating from 6 to 12 (MPR 300 to MPR 1500). EZ Flow filters have a MERV rating of 1.

[rjrcm]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

I just had an A/C guy come over to check out my units before it gets hot out and he took one look at the filters I was using in my house (A/C & Heating filters) and said they are way too restrictive ...

An A/C installer told me the same thing. Recommended to just use the cheap fiberglass filters for best air flow and efficiency.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by rjrcm

An A/C installer told me the same thing. Recommended to just use the cheap fiberglass filters for best air flow and efficiency.

I don't know why, since that is totally not the case with modern HVAC systems which are designed for MERV 6-12 filters. Unless your system is over 25 years old, don't use the fiberglass filters. If your system is over 15 years old, a fiberglass filter may work fine, but pleated filters with a MERV rating lower than 8 is optimal.

Moderator cut: snip

Trust me, I am not making this information up. You will NOT save energy using a fiberglass filter on a modern HVAC system, and you may actually spend more money frequently replacing filters.

[cacto]

Most landlords I've had have come by and dropped off a new cheap one every month of the summer. They're so cheap you ought to just change them once or twice a month.

Use fans, be vigilant about lights, the refrigerator door, laundry, opening and closing the front and back doors, and covering large windows and it'll go a long way on saving electric bill money.

[cacto]

Originally Posted by Andros 1337

I don't know why, since that is not true with modern HVAC systems which are designed for MERV 6-12 filters. Unless your system is over 25 years old, don't use the fiberglass filters.

BTW, our builder (Fulton Homes) included MERV 6 filters with our house, and remember that Fulton knows a lot about Energy Star standards.

Although, most places I've rented were old and crappy.