Heating vs. Cooling: Which Costs More? Find Custom HVAC Solutions

Whether you’re trying to save yourself from a blazing sun or protecting yourself from becoming a frosty human sickle (yes! Just like the popsicle you had in childhood), the alarm of paying bills never leaves your mind.

Though using HVAC solutions brings peace, it comes at the expense of your hard-earned money. You’ve got to pay the price for seeking comfort to make it through extreme weather.

Usually, people debate which is more expensive: heating or cooling. There can be long debates but no single answer. On public forums like Reddit, multiple talks are held regarding the same issue, but all in vain.

Today, we will answer this simple and most common question with logical proof. This article will help you understand what is more expensive: heating or cooling, factors affecting HVAC solution costs, how to overcome soaring energy bills, and how custom HVAC solutions help you get budgeted heating and cooling.

Understanding HVAC Solutions: What You Need to Know

HVAC is an acronym for Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. HVAC system provides a comprehensive solution to heating during winter, cooling during summer, and improving indoor air quality. It filters out dust and debris and maintains humidity for indoor comfort.

What Is More Expensive Among Heating Or Cooling?

Let’s look into some of the comments HVAC users have made around the world regarding the same issue:

A post on reddit says:

Why does it cost more to run air conditioning in the summer than it does to run heating in the winter?

An answer to this query states:
Curious, because our electricity bills are always seem to be ridiculously high in the summer, when AC is running. And we don’t have any other provider of heat like gas or fire.

Another post says:

We have a house. Our electric bill in the summer is about $125. Our electric bill throughout the winter goes up as high as $450. To me, this means that the AC unit works really well but that the furnace is broken but I am not an expert in HVAC. How much more should heating cost vs cooling?

Both posts are contradictory. One states that cooling a home is expensive, while another shows that heating is expensive for them.

Commenters on the post provided valuable insights, stating several reasons that must have caused variations in usage and energy consumption, affecting the overall bills.

One of the commentators stated that humidity is an important factor affecting temperature control, be it heating or cooling, and affects overall costs.

Read this blog by Surrey Air Experts on how to reduce heating costs in Australian homes here.

What Drives HVAC Solution Costs? Key Factors Explained

Let’s dive into factors that account for increasing or decreasing the cooling or heating costs.

Type Of HVAC Solution In Your Home

People select various home heating and cooling solutions according to their needs and budgets.

HVAC solutions are indeed one of the best choices for the purpose, and there are many types, like split systems, hybrid systems, and more. Complex HVAC solutions with more indoor units consume more energy.

Depending on the energy source, HVAC size, consumption and system efficiency, heating and cooling costs vary. For example:

Gas-powered HVAC systems have higher operational costs than electricity-based systems.

If the system is too large or small for the area, it will increase its energy consumption due to overwork or short cycling.

The more the strain on the HVAC system, the more energy it will use to maintain the required temperature.

Modern heat pumps and energy-efficient systems consume less power than traditional HVAC systems.

A properly maintained HVAC system consumes less energy as all its parts are in good condition. Above all, advanced HVAC systems are more energy efficient than older versions.

Choice Of Energy Source For Cooling Or Heating

HVAC systems depend on an energy source. They use fuel, natural gas or oil, and electricity to run and perform their functions. The choice of energy source for cooling or heating directly affects the operational cost.

An electrical HVAC system consumes less energy than HVAC systems relying on natural gas or oil, decreasing the overall energy consumption and hence the energy bills.

Fuel and electricity rates vary from place to place. In some areas, electricity is cheaper than natural gas or oil, making it economical to run HVAC systems on electricity and vice versa.

Environmental sustainability is often a choice or as directed by the local legislative authorities. In such a case, HVAC owners must comply with the rules and regulations despite the effect on cost.

Do You Have Solar Panels?

Solar panels help homeowners convert limitless solar energy into electrical energy. Installing solar panels may seem like hectic and expensive work, but in the long run, it is an economical investment that offsets electrical bills.

HVAC solutions that use electricity as their energy source, such as electric furnaces, heat pumps, or air conditioning, can depend on solar panels to source energy and reduce their impact on energy bills. In this way, running an HVAC solution on electricity becomes more economical.

If your home or office runs an HVAC system on natural fuel, they are unaffected by solar panels. With a natural fuel source HVAC system, achieving heating with a gas-fueled furnace is more expensive than cooling a home with an electrical system.

Local Climate Of Your Area

Your area’s local climate will decide if heating or cooling is more expensive for you. If your local climate is warmer and summer lasts longer, the gross costs for cooling will be higher. Similarly, living in a colder region will require more heating, increasing the total heating costs.

The hotter or colder the area’s local climate is, the more there is a need for heating and cooling, and the HVAC system has to work harder to overcome the difference between outdoor and indoor temperatures. For example, suppose the outdoor temperature in Melbourne is 26°C during January, and you want to maintain an indoor temperature of 16°C. In that case, the HVAC system must overcome a whooping temperature difference of 10°C. It will consume more energy than overcoming a minor temperature difference of 3-4 degrees.

Thermostat’s Settings

Thermostat settings directly affect the costs of heating and cooling. Suppose you want your home to be warmer during winters and colder during summers and set your thermostat at higher or lower temperature settings. In that case, it will signal your HVAC system to work harder, at the expense of energy, and increase the energy bills.

As Surrey Air’s HVAC solution specialists, we recommend following the State Government temperature settings to beat the cold and harsh Melbourne summer. These guidelines lessen pressure on the HVAC system, maintain thermal comfort, and promote sustainable practices.

Always perform seasonal adjustments or ask your HVAC service provider to do it during routine maintenance.

Landscape Of Your Home Affects Temperatures And HVAC Costs

The landscape around the home has great effects on temperature and influences internal temperature control.

Landscaping helps beat the heat. Landscaping, such as trees and vegetation around the home, or the presence of water bodies creates a cooling effect in the area. It will reduce the need for air conditioning and lower energy consumption, reducing the HVAC cooling costs.

Similarly, landscaping also helps reduce heating bills as it insulates the home from cold winds and protects it from weather extremes.

Strategically designing the landscape and placing trees, shrubs etc to control wind or cooling down temperature around the home brings a drastic impact on HVAC operational costs.

Home Orientation Impacts Climate Control

North, south, east or west. Home orientation tells how the seasons or prevailing winds will affect the internal temperature of your home!

Sunlight increases the internal temperature of a home. It’s beneficial during winters as it reduces the need for heating during the day and bad for summers as there will be an increased need for cooling.
Homes located on the path of natural air and allowing its flow through the home are cooler, reducing the need for HVAC solutions during summer.

Home orientation along with landscaping can efficiently reduce HVAC costs during winters and summers.

Top Tips to Cut Your HVAC Energy Bills Fast!

Simple strategic measures can efficiently reduce the absolute dependency on HVAC solutions for thermal control.

Let’s explore them.

Take Benefit Of Available Natural Resources:

As discussed above, natural resources like trees, vegetation, waterbodies, sunlight, and wind affect a home’s internal temperature, benefiting you by reducing energy bills.

Intuitively plant trees to create cooling effects or stop winds.
Allow sunlight to enter the home to heat during winters and block it to avoid excessive heating during summers.
Allow natural airflow through windows and doors during summers for cooling internal temperature or block it to save yourself from chilly winds.
Use blinds and curtains to control the amount of sunlight and winds entering your home.
Improve the home’s insulation by sealing the gaps etc to avoid losing the conditioned air.

Optimize Your Home To Lessen HVAC Usage:

One of the smartest moves to reduce HVAC costs is to optimize your home for thermal control instead of solely depending on HVAC solutions. Simple steps will greatly impact your home’s thermal control and energy bills.

Here are some tips to cut the cost and save energy.

Use Ceiling Fans:

During summers, ceiling fans rotate clockwise to cool down the air, helping HVAC in maintaining lower temperatures. During winter, they rotate anti-clockwise to circulate the warm air throughout the room. Ceiling fans help achieve temperature consistency throughout the room, reducing additional burden from the HVAC system.

Use Programmable Thermostats:

Programmable thermostats are smart devices which run on scheduled settings. You can program the thermostats according to your routine, optimizing HVAC usage and cutting down energy costs.

Adjust Thermostat According To Weather Requirements:

Setting the temperature according to the weather on the thermostat can significantly reduce HVAC costs. Setting a higher temperature, whether you increase it to warm up your home during winter or lower it to make it cooler will also reduce the burden on HVAC and cut energy costs.

Schedule Regular Maintenance:

Scheduling regular maintenance ensures all components of the HVAC system are in perfect condition. Regular maintenance also ensures there is minimum energy wastage due to faulty parts. An HVAC system in good condition will provide maximum thermal comfort, use minimum energy and help you save energy.

Custom HVAC Solutions for Maximum Comfort and Efficiency

Custom HVAC solutions are tailored to meet homeowners requirements. They are equally efficient for heating and cooling. While designing the custom solutions, home owners can strategically take measures to achieve thermal comfort without solely relying on the HVAC system.

Custom solutions include:

Custom design and installations to meet owner’s requirements for HVAC needs.
Comprehensive maintenance and repair plans to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Room for system upgrades and retrofits.
Construction solutions where HVAC specialists work with architects and builders to meet building regulatory codes, increase energy efficiency and promote natural thermal control in homes.

Surrey Air's Tailored HVAC Solutions for Home & Business

Surrey Air is your one-stop shop for HVAC solutions. Our experienced and trained technicians can help homeowners in keeping their HVAC in optimum condition and guide practices that will help them reduce energy costs while maintaining efficiency. Using our expertise, homeowners can save big amounts and they’ll never have to worry about whether heating or cooling is expensive.