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A clean furnace filter can cut your heating bill by 5 to 15 percent. If you live in a cold area of the world, it is likely that the majority of your home-energy expenditure will go towards your furnace. Cleaning your furnace filter is an easy and cheap way of reducing your energy costs and improving your indoor air quality.
If you are running your furnace consistently throughout the winter, it is best if you inspect your heater's filter once a month. If you are still using disposable fiberglass filters, it is time for you to get a permanent filter. Fiberglass filters don't work as well reusable ones, and they are wasteful. A decent reusable filter can be purchased for under fifty dollars. That's worth the investment. You'll save money on filters and on the energy saved.
How to Clean a Furnace Filter
Start by turning off power to your furnace. Locate the service panel and open it. You might need a screwdriver. It depends on the furnace. Look for the furnace. It is by the intake-outake blower. The filter looks kind of like a sponge. Pull it out of there. Give it a look. Can you see through it? If you can't, you'd better clean. Even if it's not that dirty, you might as well clean it anyways.
Take to the utility sink, the tub and rinse away the dust. You can even take the filter outside and spray it with the hose or use water from your rain barrel. Wait for filter to dry and put it back in the furnace. You now have a clean, energy-efficient filter.
More on Energy-Saving How-To:
To Block... or Not to Block Crawlspace Vents during the Winter?
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