How to Boost AC Efficiency This Summer

Spring is upon us, and summer is right around the corner. Of course, in our area it practically feels like it’s always summer, right? So, you need a fully functional, effective, and efficient air conditioner that you can rely on. Hopefully, you’ve had or have at least scheduled spring maintenance for your air conditioner, which allows our techs to comprehensively inspect, clean, and adjust components that need it.

If you haven’t scheduled this service yet, give us a call! In the meantime, there are some actions you can take on your own that will boost AC efficiency even more, and therefore lower your energy costs. Read on to learn what they are.

Raise the Temp on the Thermostat

All right, we get it—this probably sounds like strange advice. Why would you want to make it hotter than it has to be within your home? Well, actually, many homeowners make it much colder than it needs to be inside their homes.

To maintain comfort and a healthy home, most people are perfectly fine with a thermostat setting of 78°F, and yet homeowners will set theirs to as low as 71°F, thinking it will help cool their home faster. (But it doesn’t—it just makes the AC run longer, and inefficiently so.)

You can save energy and subsequently save money by raising the temperature to a more reasonable level. It also helps to raise the temperature when you’re either not home or if you’re sleeping—when you don’t actually need your air conditioner.

Use Your Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans can’t lower the temperature of your home, but they can certainly help you and your family feel cooler. This is because they are able to evaporate sweat from your body, and therefore you feel cooling. So then, you can turn the thermostat up a couple of degrees and use less energy as a result.

The reason for this is because when you use your air conditioner in combination with the ceiling fans, the fans help push cool air down and distribute it more evenly, while keeping warm air rising, for more effective and efficient AC use.

Change Your Air Filters

There are very few maintenance tasks we would ever recommend that a homeowner attempt on their own. Changing the air filters, though, is not one of them. In fact, not only can you change your own HVAC air filters, but you should change your own HVAC air filters, every 1–3 months.

These air filters stand between the intake flow of air and your HVAC systems, protecting the systems themselves from dust, dirt, and other debris that can get inside and harm the components. This is a problem that affects both your air conditioner and your heating system, so it’s important to stay on top of this task all through the year to keep components clean.

Clear Off the Outside Unit

Speaking of keeping components clean—check on the outside unit of your air conditioner. Things like lawn mulch, tree branches, leaves, and more can collect and restrict airflow, leading to inefficient AC operation.

Contact Parker Services Inc for professional Thomasville, FL HVAC services. Comfort’s just a call away!

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