This is a short podcast episode by Derek Cole (with contributions from SPEAKER B and Skipper) focused on a practical HVAC tip: regularly check and change your home's air filter. The host emphasizes that a clean filter can save about 5–15% on energy costs, warns against filters that are either too restrictive (high-MERV suffocating the unit) or too loose (not filtering enough), and advises finding a middle-ground filter suited to the home/duct system. The episode promotes the Healthy Home Challenge (a free five-day video/email/worksheet series) and directs listeners to simmons1hour.com to download the Five Secrets PDF and to contact the host via email/Instagram for questions.
Questions this episode answers
5 to 15% on energy costs.
Five days (free online video series with daily emails and worksheets).
Chapters
Foreign.
I'm Derek Cole, host of the Derek Cole Podcast and we believe in taking the time to explain how things work for your air at home or your business. And we also believe you deserve clean air in that home. And that is why we founded the Healthy Home Challenge. It's a five day online video series with daily emails, worksheets and even quick action steps you can take to protect you, your family and your co workers. If you haven't joined us yet, you can sign up. It's free to free five day access. You can go to Simmons One Hour Comm. You'll see a link to learn more about indoor air. You've probably known for a while that you need better indoor air at home or at work. After all, we spend 90% of our time indoors these days. Your breakthrough awaits at Simmons One Hour Comm. Now let's get into today's episode. Please listen closely and maybe even take some notes so you can remember these insights of home comfort and energy savings. And share this episode with three of your friends. Because we all need to share better ways to be more comfortable at home. Be sure to tag me or DM me on Instagram Derek Mcole so I can say hi. Thanks again for listening and let's begin.
What's up everyone? Derek Cole here with Simmons. And yes, I'm on my front porch. It is a Sunday. I am wearing my UNCP football shirt. But I want to talk real quick about one the five secrets to help prevent a breakdown. I've gone over a few secrets in the last few weeks. Another one is my, you know, one of my favorite topics because you guys that, that follow along or, or follow us smmons. You know, I talk about this a lot. You've seen it a lot. It is cheap checking and changing your air filter something Energy star, not me Energy star. They state it's one of the most important things you can do for your system yourself because you don't need a professional, you don't need to call a contractor. It's something you can do yourself for your system. And they say just by changing and checking your filter, a clean filter, it can save you 5 to 15% on energy costs. So that by itself tells you how important it is. But the problem is, even if you want, even if you think about it, even if you want to, you put a thing in your phone alarm to remind you every 30 days you check or change my air filter every 30. You're obsessed. The problem you could fall into is when you go to Walmart or go to Lowe's or go to Home Depot. There's so many choices. Which air filter do I get? So that's the next, the next question we get is, okay, I want to do it. But there's so many options.
Which one?
Well, there's usually two types of homeowners we run into. It's the homeowner with the filter that is too tight. They bought the algae filter. Really good MERV 13 filter. It's too much, it's too much for the unit. And then you have the homeowner that bought a filter and it's, it's, it's barely standing in the filter grill with the unit on. It's barely, it's so loose, it's not stopping much of anything. It is if it's stopping pit here. It's amazing. That's how, that's how loose the filter is. So, so you have to find a happy medium between the two. You can't have one that's too tight. You know, the unit's on. You open the filter rack and the filter is like sucked in and all four corners are coming in on it because it's so tight the unit can't breathe. It's doing that because the unit is trying to breathe and can't breathe because the filter is so tight. It's not letting it breathe. So it's sucking in the corners, so sucking in air from the crawl space and from the attic and, and from around the filter. It's not doing a good job because it's getting the air. It's going, it's going to get the air needs. But you want to control it. You want to be the filtered, clean air that comes through your filter. Not down there, the semicross space or in the attic or outside because the unit can't breathe. And then, you know, with the filter that's, that's too loose. It's not stopping the particles. It needs to stop to protect the unit. So that as well is the problem. So you gotta find the medium, you gotta find which one works, which one's not too loose, which one's not too tight. Now we come to a service and do a cleaning, do a check of your system. That is a great time to ask that question. Which filter do I need? Which filter can this duct system, this home handle? And if you have been through the Healthy Home challenge, it's a five day free challenge. Just go to Simmons One Arrow Comm. It's right beside or right under the Five Secrets tab. But that will help help you because for getting into filtration air cleaning, duct systems that also help you. Again, that's free five day access, but that's something very, very important for you to go watch if you haven't been a part of that. It's five videos, five worksheets, daily emails.
From me on day three. Worms.
Skipper goes deep into duct systems, duct cleaning, duct sealing. So it's good stuff.
Check it out.
But to get back to air filters is something very, very important. Especially when it gets hotter outside and.
The unit has a longer run time. It's important to keep checking that filter.
Actually this time of year I'll probably do it.
I would probably do it every week.
Check the filter to make sure it is clean.
There are no problems because the run.
Times when these, you know, 99, 90, 95 degrees outside, the run times get very, very long. So the unit's running a lot and should be changing a lot of air. So it's a good idea to keep an eye on that filter. But one of the five secrets. Check and change your air filter. Go to sims1hour.com Click on the five stickers link. Download your copy. It's free. You can download it, save it, print it, whatever you like to do. You get an email from me as well. Suzanne, here's your link so you can also download it from there. But if you have any questions, just reply back to that email. It comes right to me and I'll be happy to answer any questions.
Okay? I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Derek Cole Podcast. Tell some people about this episode. It's on each of us really to spread the better ways to be healthier and more comfortable in our homes and workspaces. I'm asking you to be the dealer of positive and life changing messages in your circle of influence. Take a screenshot right now and share the screenshot and the link to this episode with three of your friends today. Share on social media Use the hashtag Healthy Home. That's Healthy Home. We are always giving away shout outs prizes to our community. If you would like to help me personally then please rate and review on Apple podcast. Give us some stars. Leave a review because that stuff actually does help and I read all the comments. So my last thought for today, please remember you deserve better air at home and greater comfort at home. Don't settle for being uncomfortable for your heating air every single month. We are so thankful for having you here in our community and be sure to go deeper with us at simmons1hour.com. It.
