It’s the same old thing every year: you get your heating and air conditioning system set up for the winter season, and as the weather slowly starts getting a little bit chillier, you slowly turn up your heat a little bit more. Nothing goes wrong, and there are no weird smells coming out of the vents, and everything seems fine.

But then all of a sudden, Mother Nature decides to whip out a huge snowstorm across the entire country. Even if you don’t live in a region that gets the brunt of the snow, chances are, you still experience a bizarre 15-degree-drop in the temperature. Everyone turns on their heating and air units at full blast, and you feel pretty thankful that your HVAC system is new enough that you don’t have to worry about whether or not you have a reliable heating and air system, as your city slowly turns into a tundra.

But then…the energy bill comes. And it is not fine.

Before the situation escalates that much, here are few energy-saving (and money-saving) tips to keep in mind:

• A simple task you should try to turn into a habit is to change the filter in your HVAC unit regularly; experts at HVAC repair services often advise that the filter should be changed at least once every couple of months, but don’t hesitate to change it more often than that if your system is getting a lot of use (e.g., you suddenly live in a tundra). A dirty filter makes it difficult for heat to pass through the vents, and your HVAC system will end up working in overdrive to push enough air through.
  

• It’s important to make sure that your thermostat is placed in a good area — out of direct sunlight, away from drafty windows, etc. — or else it could get inaccurate temperature readings and could make your heating and air conditioning system turn on/off before reaching the temperature you want.
  

• In old homes, heating and air conditioning is often a problem due to a lack of insulation in the house’s structure. One way to ameliorate this problem is to add tiny bits of insulation — e.g., pieces of foam in windows and underneath doors, or heavy draft-blocking curtains — to keep out the cold weather. It’s easy to DIY these projects or to buy products specifically designed for these purposes, and both options are really affordable. More so than tearing down your walls and putting in a bunch of insulation, anyway.

And of course, it’s never too late to call in your local heating and air repair service to take a look at your HVAC system and see if any parts are broken, cracked, or about to die very suddenly. But if energy efficiency is a concern for you, just remember that preventative measures are generally much cheaper than reactive measures, and they end up saving you money in the long run. More on this topic.