Air conditioners struggle to meet our temperature demands here in Illinois. Our summers can get incredibly hot, and if you’re planning on using your system for longer than just a few years, it’s going to need some help. That help can range anywhere from a few DIY tips to full-blown AC maintenance provided by the best HVAC company in Winnetka, IL. The choice is ultimately yours, we’d just like to nudge you in the right direction!
Today, we’re going to talk about a few of those tips for increasing AC efficiency. These aren’t perfect on their own, and each tip only might help efficiency by a tiny margin, but if you plan on using your AC for years to come, those tiny margins add up! When you combine high-efficiency practices with routine maintenance, we can bet that your AC is going to be in fighting shape well into its second decade.
Keep Bills and Temperatures Low
When we talk about efficiency, we’re really talking about ways to keep your energy bills low and your cooling power high. What’s the point of having a cheap running AC if it doesn’t keep your home to the temperature you desire? Similarly, if your AC cools your home but does it at a price of energy consumption that you’re not comfortable paying, how is that any better?
That’s why we’ve got some tips to help keep the energy consumed by your system to a minimum while keeping your home cool. Take a look.
- Raise the temperature on the thermostat. Now, bear with us. We know that the first inclination for someone dealing with summer heat is to turn the thermostat down lower, but that might not be a good idea. Air conditioners have trouble cooling homes to more than 20 degrees below the temperature outside. That means the lower the temperature you turn your thermostat to, the less cooling power you’ll get, and the harder your system will work. Keep the temperature 20 degrees below the outside temperature to maximize cooling.
- Draw blinds and curtains. The sun produces enough heat to cause the summer temperatures we long to escape. That’s why you’ll notice how temperatures are slightly higher near windows that face the sun! By closing your blinds or curtains, you stop the sunlight in its tracks and make it easier for your AC to cool your home.
- Use your ceiling fan. Fans are an incredibly efficient mode of cooling. They use only a tiny bit of electricity to move air, and your ceiling fan can pull hot air up to the ceiling and allow cool air to remain on the bottom. When your ceiling fan works together with your air conditioner, your home can get cooler for only a fraction of the price!
Schedule Maintenance
None of these tips will provide anywhere near as large of a benefit as routine maintenance does. Routine maintenance reduces repair needs, keeps efficiency levels high, and allows a trained professional to give you the rundown on your system’s condition. Talk to one of our professionals today to try out this service.
The team at Roberts Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. is ready to provide sensible improvements to your AC. Call us today!