Where would we be without the modern convenience of air conditioning? Certainly not comfortable in our homes this summer, that’s for sure! Of course, just having a cooling system in place isn’t always enough. We also want to stay comfortable affordably.
That said, your air conditioner—as nice as it is to have—may not be keeping up to the standards you expect of it. Maybe it doesn’t reach the desired temperature on your thermostat fast enough, or perhaps it costs you too much to run from month-to-month.
But, there could be something—actually there could be a several somethings—you can do to boost your air conditioner’s efficiency and therefore keep your AC in good shape at the peak of summer, while costing you as little as possible.
Curious? Read on.
Raise That Temperature!
We get it, this sounds like counterproductive advice. And, we do not expect you to make your home hotter than is comfortable, for any reason. But most homeowners don’t even realize that they’re turning their thermostat settings down much lower than they actually need to be.
For instance, have you ever set your thermostat to around 71°F? You might be surprised to find that most people can stay comfortable around 78°F during the day, and also that cranking down your thermostat as low as it will go actually does nothing to cool down your home faster, which is what many people assume it does.
Rather than wasting energy trying to cool a home more drastically than it needs to be cooled, considering raising the temperature so that the compressor doesn’t run as long and your air conditioner doesn’t accumulate as much wear and tear.
Use Your Ceiling Fans
A fan alone cannot keep you cooled down in the peak of summer. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need air conditioners at all! What it can do though, is help you feel cooler by more evenly distributing the cooled air coming from your air conditioner.
This is because breezes help sweat evaporate from our bodies, which is our natural way of keeping cool. On a mild day, a ceiling fan could very well be enough to keep you cool and comfortable, and perhaps even keep your bills lower. But the true power of a ceiling fan is its ability to push cool air down and keep warm air rising while you use your air conditioner as efficiently as possible.
Change the Air Filter as Needed
The air filter in your HVAC system is there for a very important reason, and it’s probably not why you think. Many homeowners assume it is there to protect their indoor air quality. After all, dust, dirt, and other debris get sucked out of your air and into the filter, right?
Well… sort of. Dust and other debris does get pulled into the air conditioner as the system works to remove hot air from your home. But the air filter is in place to block the interior components of that air conditioner so they don’t get pummeled with debris—you need a whole separate system or combination of air quality systems to protect your indoor air quality.
But what this all means is that if an air filter is too clogged up with debris, it can impact airflow. And if airflow is negatively impacted, then the air conditioner has to work harder to do its job, the compressor runs longer, and you accumulate more wear and tear than you should have to. The simple solution to this is ensuring that you change this air filter every 1-3 months—depending on the type of air filter as well as the level of contaminants in your home. Please reach out to our team with any questions you may have regarding this!
Call the friendly staff at Boehmer Heating & Cooling for exceptional customer service and quality air conditioning service in Pittsburgh and beyond.