Your home air conditioning system is powerful and a significant investment. As such, you want to make sure you can get the most out of it for the life of the system. With that in mind, here are some helpful tips that will allow you to keep your system functioning at peak capacity for many years to come.
Take into consideration, a new, high efficiency, 14 SEER air conditioner uses about half the energy of a 15-year-old air conditioner. If your air conditioner is 10 years old or less, maintain it well and keep it. After 10 years, minor repairs and service are should be expected. If the air conditioner is 10 to 15 years old or older and needs substantial repairs, your best alternative is to replace it with a new, high efficiency system.
Turn air conditioners to the highest comfortable setting. We recommend 74 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit when you’re home and 80 degrees while you are away. Adjusting your thermostat up a few degrees will have a significant impact on your cooling bill. A change from 73 degrees to 76 degrees — 24 hours a day — could save you approximately 20 percent on your summer cooling costs.
Clean or replace your air conditioning filter monthly, or more often if needed. A great tip for remembering to do this is to change the filters when you pay your power bill. Thanks to one of our customers for this tip!
Keep coils on the exterior air conditioning unit free of dirt, grass clippings and leaves. Blow away from your unit while cutting grass and weed eating. Watch out for the lines coming from the unit to the house. The insulation is important to keep your unit efficient and the lines from being damaged. Hand pulling weeds from around them is the safest way to insure there is no damage.
The “on” fan setting on your central air conditioner can circulate air continuously through your home. This will usually even out the hot spots in your home, and if this practice allows you to set your thermostat at a higher summer temperature, it can also save you money.
Humidity and your air conditioning system
Humidity is a significant load on any air conditioner. While it’s tempting to give the air conditioner a rest on cool nights, watch the weather forecast before you decide to open the windows at night. If tomorrow is going to be another hot day, keep the air conditioning on and your home closed through the night. This will help to keep the humidity out of the house. Too much humidity can add to all sorts of indoor air quality problems and make the heat of summer feel all the more unbearable.
But if you don’t have some humidity in your indoor air, you’re going to have problems as well. Air that’s too dry will cause your skin to crack, can make certain breathing problems worse and will also impede the ability of your indoor air filtration system to function properly. Investing in humidification system to maintain a good level of humidity inside your home can help make it that much more comfortable all season long.
Seal Up Your Home for Energy Efficiency
One of the first things to do if you’re trying to get the most out of your air conditioning system is to make sure there are no little leaks or cracks that cool air will be able to escape through or that could let warmer, outside air in. That means checking to see that you have proper insulation everywhere, as well as sealing up all windows and doors tightly and securely. This will not only keep it more comfortable inside your house but it will also help reduce your energy bills in the summer because your air conditioning system won’t have to work so hard to keep your house cool.
Regular Air Conditioning Maintenance
While all of these tips are helpful when it comes to improving the overall efficiency of your system, there’s still nothing more important than making sure that you keep to a regular maintenance schedule for your air conditioning system. This will include both simple tasks that you can perform yourself and a more in-depth cleaning and inspection that will be carried out by one of our air conditioning professionals to make sure its working at peak efficiency.
Keeping up with this kind of maintenance is helpful in many ways. It keeps your air conditioning system functioning at the highest possible efficiency level, and it also reduces the chances that you’ll need emergency repairs in the future. And since both of these benefits save you money in the long run, it’s well worth the small investment to have us come out to take a look at your system.
These professional maintenance visits typically include a thorough inspection to check for leaks, wear and defects throughout the system. In addition, a full coil cleaning is generally included. On your own, however, you can also do things like clean out the vents once a month and make sure you change the filters on a regular basis.