Summer is just about officially upon us, which for us means that hot and humid weather is on its way. So, now is the perfect time to make sure that your air conditioner is ready for the coming conditions. When you use your AC system, you want to do so as efficiently as possible, right? Well, if you answered “yes” to this question, then we hope you’ve already invested in maintenance for the season. Professional HVAC maintenance allows our technicians to comprehensively inspect, clean, and adjust the components of your air conditioner that need it.
Even without professional maintenance, however (though we do recommend you have it done every year for your air conditioner), there are steps you can take that will help boost the efficiency of your air conditioner and lower your cooling costs, without spending the extra money to do so. Keep reading as we uncover some steps you can start taking now to improve your AC efficiency.
Raise the Temperature
Okay we get it, this sounds like pretty odd advice, right? How could any homeowner in NJ think about making their homes warmer during the summer?
The fact is, most people actually make it colder than it needs to be in their living spaces. In order to stay comfortable, most household occupants are actually quite fine with a thermostat setting of 78°F. And yet in an attempt to cool their homes down faster, people set theirs as low as 71°F. All this does is make your air conditioner run longer, not work faster–which is inefficient!
You can save energy and therefore save money by raising the thermostat setting to a more reasonable level. We recommend raising it even more, if it makes sense, when you’re not home or when you’re sleeping–when you don’t actually need your air conditioner but want to keep your home at a steady temperature in the meantime.
Utilize Your Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are not capable of lowering the temperature of the rooms they’re in. But they can certainly help your air conditioner do so. This is because fans help your body feel cooler by evaporating sweat off of your skin. So when a fan helps you feel cooler, you’ll be able to turn your thermostat up a couple of degrees, therefore using less energy.
When you use your air conditioner in combination with ceiling fans, the fans help to push the cooled air down, and evenly distribute it throughout the room, while keeping your warm air rising, for more effective and efficient air conditioner use.
Change Out Clogged Air Filters
Did you know that the air filter that comes standard with your HVAC systems is in place to protect that HVAC system from dust, dirt, and other debris that can get inside and damage its components? So, of course air filters are important! However, what happens is that these air filters get clogged, and that restricts airflow coming into your AC system. That then restricts airflow coming out as well, meaning you’ll use your AC inefficiently, You can avoid this by changing out your air filter every 1-3 months, or cleaning it that often if it’s a permanent air filter.
DB Heating & Cooling, Inc serves the heating and cooling needs of customers throughout Rockland County, NY as well as Bergen County, NJ and surrounding communities, including Westwood, NJ air conditioning services. You can count on us for expert services. Contact us today!