It’s still on the chillier side for now, and you might even still be using your heaters on a daily basis. But as we all know, springtime can bring warmer temperatures quicker than expected, and when it does you need an AC system that can keep up and operate as cost-efficiently as possible.
We’ve shared some tips below that can help you use your air conditioner more efficiently this year, but keep in mind these tips can be applied to your heating system as well—just in case winter decides to last a little bit longer in our parts.
Adjust the Temperature
When summer hits, homeowners are often tempted to set their air conditioners as low as possible, especially if they’ve just come inside from a very hot day.
We don’t expect you to make your home hotter than it should be this summer, but you may be turning your thermostat settings down much lower than you actually need to, in order to maintain comfort.
We’ve heard many of our customers say they set their thermostat down as low as 71° when in reality, most people are perfectly comfortable at about 78° throughout the day. Setting the thermostat lower won’t help you cool off any faster, it will just cause your air conditioner to run longer than is actually necessary, which increases wear and tear, causing the system to perform inefficiently.
This same concept applies when you’re using your heater—it’s tempting to blast that hot air too, but do you really need it? Most of the time, a setting of 68° should suffice—even lower when you’re sleeping and all bundled up!
Use Your Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans cannot adjust the temperature of a room. A fan can, however, make you feel cooler in the summer. This is because it helps sweat evaporate from your body, which is your natural way of keeping cool. On a mild day, you may be able to get by with just a ceiling fan to keep cool, and keep your energy bills down.
The way this works is when you’re using your cooling system, ceiling fans help push that cool air down and keep warm air rising. Therefore, pairing ceiling fans with your central AC system enables you to run the cooling system at a higher temperature, therefore lowering your monthly energy costs.
And many people don’t realize that ceiling fans help in the winter, too! With the simple flip of a switch near the center of your fan, you can reverse the direction of the blades so that it pulls hot air down, making you feel warmer and allowing you to use your heater less.
Change Your Air Filter!
There are a couple of things that homeowners often don’t realize about the air filter within their HVAC systems. The first is that this air filter isn’t intended to help with indoor air quality. It doesn’t hurt, but its actual purpose is to protect the HVAC system itself from dirt, dust, and other debris that can infiltrate it and hurt performance.
The second thing homeowners often don’t realize is that they can, and should, change this air filter on their own, every 1-3 months during periods of HVAC use. This will help both your air conditioner and heater work more efficiently since airflow won’t be restricted.
Need reliable HVAC services in Pittsburgh, PA? Call the friendly staff at Boehmer Heating & Cooling for exceptional customer service!