TIL my 1983 furnace filter saved me $200 last month, not my new thermostat

Last month I swapped out my old thermostat for a smart one, figured that was the big energy saver everyone talks about. My December bill dropped about $200 compared to last year, so I gave the thermostat all the credit. Then last week I pulled the old filter out of my 1983 furnace and realized I hadn't changed it in 8 months. That thing was caked solid, I could barely see light through it. I put a fresh $12 filter in and the furnace runs half as often now. Turns out the thermostat just made me notice the cycles, but the real fix was airflow. Anyone else found that basic maintenance beats fancy upgrades in older Edmonton homes?

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1 Comment

grant.margaret10h ago

Wait, how many people actually check their furnace filter before they go out and buy new gadgets? That's the real question here, because I bet most of us don't. I've seen this happen a lot in older homes, the furnace is fine but the airflow is choked. A dirty filter makes the whole system work twice as hard, and that adds up fast on a bill. Smart thermostats are nice, but they don't fix a plugged-up motor. You basically paid for a new thermostat and forgot the $12 part that does the heavy lifting. Good on you for figuring it out, but that filter should have been swapped months ago.