Air Conditioning Tips

Having a central air conditioning system installed is a big step and it will certainly go a long way towards keeping your home cool and comfortable all summer long. Like anything else, these systems need some care and attention if you want them to continue working at top capacity. There are also some things you can do to help out your air conditioning system so that it doesn’t have to work overtime keeping your home at the right temperature.

Regular AC Maintenance

The best thing you can do to ensure that your air conditioning system will keep working well for years to come is to keep up with a regular maintenance schedule for your equipment. A big part of this is arranging for a professional service to come in and do a thorough inspection and coil cleaning once a year.

This type of service is reasonably cheap and will save you a ton of money in the long run. It does this by keeping the overall efficiency of your system high and also cutting down on the need for repairs later on down the line. If you keep your air conditioner in good working order, it will serve you well for many years to come.

And an annual maintenance visit isn’t the only thing you can do to keep your air conditioner in good working order. Cleaning out the vents every month or so and changing the filters regularly will go a long way towards keeping your air conditioning system up and running for a good long time.

Tightly Sealed Homes are More Energy Efficient

No matter how efficient your air conditioner is, though, it can’t stop cooled air from sneaking out of your house if you don’t have it sealed up tight. If this happens, you’ll wind up with higher energy bills than necessary no matter how good your air conditioner is.

So make sure there are no leaky doors or windows that your cooled air can sneak out of. Putting in good seals is one good step to take. Also, make sure that you have enough insulation in appropriate places and you can even cover unused windows and doors with plastic to ensure no air escapes. Closing the doors and vents in unused rooms of the house can also help to cut down on the cooling load your air conditioning system is responsible for and keep your energy bills down.

Maintain Proper Humidity

Another important thing to keep in mind when you’re thinking about how to maintain a comfortable indoor environment is the humidity level inside your house. We tend to think of humidity as a negative element, especially in the summer, but you do actually need some in the air if you want to be comfortable inside your house. Having a system in place to regulate your indoor humidity will help out a great deal in terms of improving the overall comfort level inside your home.

Taking it Up a Notch

If you follow all of these steps, you may actually be able to turn your thermostat up a couple of degrees without making it uncomfortable, even on the hottest summer days. Even this small adjustment will make a huge difference in your monthly energy bills and will also mean that your air conditioning system doesn’t have to work as hard to keep your home comfortable.

Most people set their thermostat at 72°F almost by default and then never think about it again. But are you really that uncomfortable if the temperature inside your home is closer to 75°F? As long as your house is well sealed and the humidity level is regulated properly, chances are that you won’t even notice the difference.