How often does the air conditioning system in your house run during the summer? The answer is probably somewhere between “a lot” to “all the time.” The AC draws on a large amount of electricity to run, and you expect to see your utility bills rise during this period.
But you don’t necessarily have to see it rise a lot. Below we’ve listed some helpful tips for keeping your air conditioner working at its most energy-efficient this hot season.
Always arrange for AC maintenance
This is the most important step toward better energy efficiency. Having professionals do a thorough unit inspection, tune-up, and cleaning prevents the air conditioner from draining more energy to work. Each year the AC misses maintenance it will work 5% less efficiently on average. And maintenance is not only important for efficiency, it’s vital for ensuring the AC works for many years and keeps the warranty in place.
Regularly change the air filter
This is the easiest step to preventing the air conditioner from losing efficiency. The air filter helps prevent debris from getting into the air conditioner’s cabinet. It takes from one to three months for the filter to become clogged with dust and lint, and this will choke the airflow into the system. If left in place, it will make your cooling bills rise and rise. Establish a regular schedule to change to filter for a new one and stick to it throughout the season.
Manage thermostat settings
How do you set your thermostat on hot days? A common method people use is to lower the thermostat each time it gets hot, then raise it back when they start feeling too cold. This up-and-down setting pattern ends up wasting more power and often leaves the thermostat set too low so the AC runs longer than it should.
What we recommend you do instead is set the thermostat to a steady temperature of 78°F during the day when people are home and leave it. This is a comfortable temperature for most people, and it helps to slow down the movement of heat into the house from outside. You can save up to 20% on running the AC compared to more haphazard thermostat settings. (We also recommend looking into “smart” thermostats to maximize your energy savings while letting the thermostat do the work.)
Schedule all repairs promptly
Never allow your air conditioning system to continue to run when you think it has a malfunction. When you hear odd noises from the AC, smell weird odors from the vents, or notice some rooms are hotter than others, don’t ignore it and hope the trouble will just go away. The AC may still be putting out cool air, but requiring much more power to do it. You not only risk making the problem worse, you’ll waste money during the waiting period.
All the Malvern, PA air conditioning services you need are right here! We provide superb maintenance and offer 24-hour emergency AC repairs.
Michall Daimion Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. is the Main Line’s Premier Service Provider since 1976. Call us for help with your home cooling this summer.