Having an air conditioning system in your home is one of the best ways you can help your family stay comfortable during the hottest months of the year. Of course, your AC system relies on energy to operate, and you’ll probably see an increase in your energy bills during the summer months. In fact, the Department of Energy notes that average homeowners can attribute 6 percent of their annual energy costs to home cooling.
As a result, it’s important to ensure that your home’s air conditioning system is operating as effectively and efficiently as possible. But what can you do to keep your home nice and cool, all while keeping your energy usage as low as possible? Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to help with your air conditioning system’s efficiency – today!
5 Steps You Can Take Today for Better AC Efficiency
As you know, your home’s air conditioning works hard to keep the air in your home cool and comfortable for you and your family. And, the hotter it gets, the harder it has to work. That’s why it’s so important to minimize the amount of heat in your home, especially when the temperatures outside are soaring. Below, we’re sharing five easy things you can do right away to help keep the heat out – and your air conditioning system running as efficiently as possible.
- Minimal use of appliances that heat up your home: This includes home appliances like ovens, stoves, and dryers. When you run these appliances, they naturally cause your home to heat up – and your AC to work harder.
- Turn off ventilation fans when not in use: Your ventilation fans in the bathroom and kitchen do a great job of drawing the heat out of your home when you’re showering or using the stove. But, they can also draw the cool air out, so make sure they’re off when you’re not using them to remove heat from your living space.
- Close windows and doors: Open windows and screen doors can let the heat into your home, and allow the cooled air to escape. When your air conditioning system is running, closing windows and doors will help keep the cool air in where it belongs, and your AC won’t have to work so hard to do its job.
- Change the direction of your ceiling fans: Set your ceiling fans so they turn in the counterclockwise direction. This allows the cooled air to be pushed down into your living space, rather than be drawn up to the ceiling.
- Consider dehumidification: Humid air holds the heat. Your air conditioning system removes some of the humidity from your indoor air, but if it’s especially humid inside your home, you can help your AC system operate more efficiently by installing a dehumidifier to remove the excess moisture.
Call Stafford Mechanical Services if you’re concerned about your AC’s efficiency.
If you’re concerned that your air conditioning system is using more energy than it should be, it may be time to have a professional check it out. You may need air conditioning maintenance, or possibly a repair. At Stafford Mechanical Services, we work hard to make sure our customers enjoy the greatest level of home comfort possible. Our skilled technicians are able to troubleshoot virtually any make and model of air conditioning system, including Carrier® products. We’ll thoroughly diagnose your system and get to the bottom of any issues, including system inefficiency. Just give us a call at (860) 684-9485, and we’ll be glad to schedule an appointment with you.