Have you found yourself facing astronomical cooling costs over the past summer? What if we told you that you didn’t have to? No, we’re not going to tell you to stop using your air conditioner—that would be unbearable and pretty much impossible around our parts. But boosting your air conditioner’s efficiency so that you pay less on your monthly bills is possible, and it’s not very hard.
Keep reading as we share some of the best cost-effective tips and tricks we have to give your air conditioner a boost and stop paying an arm and a leg just to keep comfortable in your home. It may officially be fall—but we still have plenty of hot weather to contend with!
Use Your Ceiling Fans
If you have ceiling fans, use them! At least, use them for the rooms you’re in. During the cooling season, your ceilings fans act as support to your air conditioner, helping to evenly distribute the cool, conditioned air as it circulates into your home.
This allows you to turn up the thermostat by a few degrees, and as a result, your compressor doesn’t have to run as long. Simply using your ceiling fans in combination with your air conditioner is a great way to reduce costs as a result.
Close Your Shades and Curtains
During the hottest and sunniest of days, that sun beats down your home, making it feel even hotter. By closing the shades, blinds, and/or curtains on your south-facing windows, you can block out much of the sun’s heat, allowing for your home to stay nice and cool.
Utilize a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat is a great tool for boosting the efficiency of your air conditioner (and your heater, for that matter, even though its use is brief). A programmable thermostat enables you to create a customized cooling program based on your household’s personal schedule.
This way, you won’t have to worry about accidentally wasting energy when you’re gone at work for the day, or away for the weekend. There is actually a lot of energy that gets wasted by cooling unoccupied spaces, and this type of thermostat can eliminate that problem.
Change Your Air Filter
There’s a fairly common misconception that the air filter of your HVAC system is in place to protect the indoor air quality of your home. This air filter actually blocks particles as your air conditioner pulls in warm air from your indoor air, in order to protect the inside components of that HVAC system.
If the air filter gets too clogged up, it forces your air conditioner to work much harder in order to circulate cool air throughout your living space. This is extremely inefficient, and also places unnecessary strain on the system, leading to potential breakdowns and other mechanical issues.
Schedule Maintenance
True, we usually recommend air conditioning maintenance before the cooling season begins, in the spring. But if you’ve skipped maintenance this year, or if you have an aging system that is showing possible signs of disrepair, it’s a good idea to have your system inspected. During maintenance, our technicians thoroughly clean and adjust your system, and alert you to small repair needs before they grow into much bigger problems.
When you need quality Wesley Chapel air conditioning services, contact IERNA’s Heating & Cooling.