Sami Grover
DCL
It may not have made it onto the EPA's 7 tips for efficient cooling, and it's not as glamorous as installing one of the fancy schmancy systems discussed in Lloyds guide to efficient heating and cooling, but regularly replacing your HVAC filters ranks right up there with changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs as a simple, easy measure that can help save you money.
It's hard to find exact figures on how much you'll save, but it stands to reason that as soon as filters get clogged up with dust and other debris, the fan on your HVAC has to work extra hard to move air around. Changing the actual filter can take as little a minute. Really, the only tricky part is remembering to do it, and keeping a spare filter on hand. (How often you need to change depends on your system, so check the manual.)
I've taken to ordering filters by the case load from American Filtration. My HVAC maintenance company (yes, HVAC systems should be tuned regularly, just like cars) tells me that I need to change every one-to-two months, so a case of 12 will last me somewhere between a year to two years.
And a simple reminder on my google calendar means that there are no excuses left for forgetting.
