AC run more efficiently/ Lower the cost of your electric bill

February 17, 2011 at 9:27 pm | Category: Air Conditioning

Like any mechanical system, your AC system requires routine maintenance to keep it working at its peak efficiency. this article is for you, to tell you how to make you AC run more efficiently/ Lower the cost of your electric bill. provided by your experts at Superior Service, Inc

  1. Leave the thermostat alone- Changing the thermostat to a lower temperature does not make your house cool or heat any quicker. For example, if you want your home’s temperature to be at 78 degrees, setting your thermostat down to 72 degrees does nothing to make it cool faster. Also, turn the thermostat off when you are not home, this can cut off more than 15% off of your electric bill, and if you decide that you should not turn off your thermostat when gone, depending on the weather you can turn up or down the temperature so your AC system is not working as hard while not home.

  2. Keep curtains closed- Open drapes, blinds, or curtains in the evening to allow heat to escape through the windows of your house. While keeping natural light in your home is great way to cut electric bill costs, if there is no one in the room you should keep the curtains closed.

  3. Turn on a fan- In areas where weather permits it, turn the A/C off at night and allow the room fan or floor fans to circulate and keep the air cool in the room because fans use less energy than an A/C system that is trying to keep your home cool.

  4. Get rid of hot air- Use an exhaust fan while cooking to help expel hot air from the house. If you do not have an exhaust fan you can use a floor fan, because the floor fan not only cools the air, but it can also help move the hot air out of the kitchen.

  5. Use the dehumidifier- Ridding your house of the humidity will help make your family feel more comfortable. You may even notice that you can set your air conditioner above 78 degrees when using a dehumidifier combined with fans.

  6. Keep you’re A/C out of the sun- The ideal location for an A/C unit is on the north side of the house. While this might not always be the practical way to keep your A/C out of the sun, landscaping makes your yard look nice and by planting shrubs or trees around your A/C unit you can help it cool your home more efficiently and the shade from the landscaping can also be used to keep the suns direct rays off of your home.

  7. Save Chores for the right time- Try to do chores that emit heat, like using dish washers and laundry cleaners, kept to the evening because it is easier for your house to cool off at night rather than during the day while the A/C system is already trying to keep the house cool because of the sun’s heat.

  8. Change filters as needed- If your filter is dirty and clogged it does not allow the air to run through the air conditioning system easily, which in turn makes your A/C system run harder. For regular filters, it is advised to check the filter every month, because depending on the conditions of your home will determine when you need to change it. Generally, regular filters should not be used beyond three months. For pleated filters, depending on the depth and type they can last up to a year without changing them.

  9. Maintain your A/C System every 6 months- Just like how you car needs an oil change, your Air Conditioning system needs to be maintained every 6 months. Without maintenance it can allow problems to arise that could otherwise be prevented if your system was maintained properly, like drain pans clogging and mold and mildew building up in your air handler.