Recently, I was talking to a friend of mine who was saying his utility bills are out of control. He told me he has gone to great lengths to make his family’s home home more energy efficient so they could save a little money each month on the utility bill. My friend told me that they have replaced all of the old windows that were original to the farmhouse they own, he replaced all the doors as well and he even made the house draft free. As anyone who owns a home built in the 1800s this is no easy task. After he finished venting his frustration I asked him about his kitchen appliances he told me that everything was 5 years old or newer. He was also pretty sure that everything had an energy star rating on it too. This is why he was so perplexed by why his utility bills were sky high. I asked him when he had an HVAC technician out to his home to inspect and service his HVAC system. He actually got a little exasperated with me over this and told me that his HVAC system was working fine and he didn’t need to add to the monthly bottom line. I told him that the utility bill could be higher because his HVAC system may not be performing as well as he thinks it is. The system could be overworking itself which leads to higher energy bills. After he heard me out he decided that my suggestion did have some merit. After he agreed to make an appointment with his local HVAC technician to have his heating and cooling system serviced, I also suggested that he change the filter in his HVAC system as well. All of these decisions could lead to energy savings!