Pro tip: I was wrong about cheap air filters for my furnace

I used to buy those cheap fiberglass filters for like $2 each at Home Depot, thinking filters are all the same. My HVAC guy came out for a routine check last month and showed me my coil covered in dust and crap. He said those cheap filters let way too much stuff through and my system was working twice as hard. He pulled out a MERV 8 filter from his truck and held it up next to my old one, the difference was insane. I switched to the pleated ones and my electric bill dropped $18 the next month. Feels dumb spending $6 on a filter but it saves money in the long run. Anyone else get schooled by their HVAC guy on something basic like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

thea_knight27d ago

Hold up, $18 a month savings seems kinda high for just swapping a filter. I run MERV 8s in my place and my bill barely budged when I made the switch. Feels more like your old filter was literally falling apart or your system was already on its way out before you swapped it.

dakota78728d ago

My friend had the same wakeup call when his blower motor died at year 8 instead of 15, so I switched to MERV 8 filters right after that story.