Like it or not, summer is right around the corner. And as you know if you’ve lived here for even just a year, summertime temperatures are nothing to mess around with. Therefore, you need a high-quality and affordable air conditioner to get you through.
When we talk about affordability, we’re considering your month-to-month utility costs in addition to the cost of the system itself. There are a number of things you can do to lower this monthly cost! For example, investing in annual maintenance is important. This allows our technicians to thoroughly clean and adjust components that need it, and check the system for repair needs. All of this helps the system run smoother.
Maintenance is an important step, but it’s not the only step in ensuring that your air conditioner works as efficiently and effectively as possible. Reach out for some advice on how to boost your cooling efficiency (and comfort) this summer!
Raise the Temp on the Thermostat
All right, now you’re probably wondering why we would give this advice. After all, who wants to make their home warmer than it should be?
The truth is, however, many homeowners make it colder than it actually needs to be to keep their household comfortable. Most people are perfectly comfortable, when summer is at its hottest, with a thermostat setting of 78ׄ°F. However, homeowners often set it to 71°F, thinking it will help their home cool down faster.
First off, your home won’t cool down faster. The lower thermostat setting just means that your air conditioner will run longer, therefore wasting energy. You can save energy, and therefore save money, by raising that temp to a more reasonable level.
Use Your Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are not capable of lowering the temperature of a room. Fans are designed to move air, not to adjust the temperature of the air. However, having fans running can certainly make you feel cooler, as it helps sweat evaporate off your skin faster. So when you use your ceiling fans in combination with your air conditioner, you can feel cooler and therefore turn the thermostat up a bit to help the system perform more efficiently.
Change the Air Filter
There aren’t many maintenance tasks we would ever advise a homeowner to do on their own. Changing out the HVAC air filter, however, is definitely one you should do yourself. There’s a little bit of a misconception about these air filters—that they’re in place to protect the home’s indoor air quality. But what they actually do is protect the HVAC systems themselves from dirt, dust, and other debris that can get inside and damage the components.
When an air filter gets too clogged up, it can restrict airflow into your AC system, which in turn restricts airflow out. This causes your air conditioner to “work harder” to be able to do its job, and is therefore inefficient.
To keep your system working as efficiently as it should, be sure to swap out this filter every 1–3 months, depending on the type of filter it is and the level of contaminants in your home!
Reach out to Premier HVAC Services, for professional Chambersburg, PA air conditioning services.