By ensuring that you use your air conditioning system efficiently, you reduce your electricity bills. Additionally, efficient AC usage prevents overworking the unit and, therefore, prolongs its life. The following are ways to get the best out of your air conditioner.
Seal Your Home
Typically, the air conditioner works by taking the heat from your indoor environment to the outdoor environment. Now, since the outdoor environment is essentially warmer than your house, nature will balance the temperatures by having the hot temperatures move into your home. To prevent heat from entering your house, seal it off using insulation material that prevents air movement. With this trick, you save on bills and keep your house cool without having to overwork the AC.
Keep the Sun Out
You don’t need an air conditioner to keep your house temperatures down. You can keep the heat away by ensuring that the sun rays don’t reach the interior of your house. One good way to prevent this is to plant trees in your yard so that your house is in the shade. Planting bushes or shade trees in front of windows will not only keep the sun out, but it will also provide privacy.
Another way to stop the sun from entering your home is to get blackout curtains for the rooms that get the hottest during the summer. These curtains are specially designed to be UV-resistant, and keeping the sun outside means naturally cooler temperatures inside, which gives your AC a break. And don’t let the name fool you; blackout curtains come in a number of attractive styles and colors that can complement any decor.
Use Energy-Efficient Lighting and Appliances
Keeping the sun out or sealing your home is pointless if you use appliances that produce a lot of heat. Essentially, these include your kitchen appliances and lighting sources. More heat from these appliances means that your AC gets overworked. Therefore, use efficient appliances and lighting to prevent energy waste.
Also, make sure that your thermostat isn’t near any appliances that put off a lot of heat. The heat that a washer and dryer, for example, can put off will heat up the area near your thermostat, providing an inaccurate temperature measurement and making your AC unit run more often than it needs to.
Eliminate the Blockage in Your Air Conditioning Vents
Blocked air conditioning vents prevent proper circulation of air. If the vents are blocked, the cool air isn’t getting into your home and lowering the temperature, which means that the unit will work harder than it should have to. Cleaning the vents is a complex job, so it may be a good idea to bring in a professional on this.
Change AC Filters Regularly
To get the best air quality from your air conditioning system, you should regularly change the air conditioner filters. The AC’s filter gathers debris during its operation. This leads to blockage of the filter’s air paths. Consequently, the debris might collect some mold and contaminate the air. Therefore, if you don’t know when you need to change the filter, talk to an expert, or contact a Hunter’s Air & Heat, Inc professional.
Keep the Coils Clean
Your air conditioning system operates through two primary units: the indoor and outdoor units. These units contain the compressor and condenser coils. Essentially, these coils are responsible for cooling your house. Therefore, to ensure that you get the best cooling or heating experience, keep the coils clear of any dirt or debris that might prevent them from working optimally.
Regular Servicing of the AC
Getting the best out of your air conditioning also requires regular service and maintenance. During its lifetime, your air conditioner might develop some structural or electrical problems as a result of normal wear and tear. When a professional inspects your unit twice a year, they will look for potential problems that can cause your AC unit to run less efficiently.
Protect the AC From the Sun
Normally, your air conditioner has an outdoor unit that cools the refrigerant coming from inside the house. The condenser – an outdoor component – uses the fan. If the condenser is placed in direct sunlight, cooling of the refrigerant will require extra energy. It is therefore advisable that you put the condenser under some shade.
At Hunter’s Air & Heat, Inc, we offer installation, repair, and equipment maintenance services for air conditioners, heaters, and cooling equipment to residents in and around Boling. Give us a call today to find out how we can optimize your AC unit.
