Air conditioning can be vital to your home’s comfort, but it can be necessary for its safety too. When your home gets warm or humid, you don’t want to be there. However, if it gets too hot inside, then some members of your family shouldn’t be there at all.
A lack of air conditioning can mean the air gets stuffy, but temperatures too high can be a risk to the elderly, the frail, children, and especially pets who can’t cool themselves down by sweating as people do. Even at comfortable temperatures, air that doesn’t get circulated through a filter regularly might keep building up allergens that trigger sensitivities and respiratory ailments in some people.
For as much as your air conditioner takes care of you, it’s also crucial that you take care of it. While you’re doing that, you can save money because regular HVAC maintenance can lower your home’s energy costs.
Regular HVAC Maintenance Steps That Can Save Money
One New Albany air conditioning company suggests that the following are just some of many regular HVAC maintenance steps that should be taken to keep your system running as efficiently as possible for as long as it can:
Replace the Air Filters
How often these should be changed will vary on the size of your home, whether or not you have pets, and the manufacturer’s recommendations. However, clogged and dirty filters obstruct airflow and make your unit work harder than it has to. Just changing out old filters can reduce your home’s HVAC energy consumption by as much as 15 percent.
Verify the Refrigerant Level:
Not having enough can mean the unit isn’t going even to be able to work to its full potential.
Clean the Coils:
The outside unit of your air conditioner is something that only professionals should open, but you might be able to keep them clean. Don’t blow leaves or grass in the direction of your unit when doing yard work. Prevent animals from contaminating the unit, and don’t let shrubs grow up around it.
Test for Refrigerant Leaks:
Leaking refrigerant can indicate issues with the system that warrant repairs or even replacement.
Install a Programmable Thermostat:
Older models just let you set one temperature that you left in place. Previous dial or lever models were even more inefficient. Modern technology can be set for different temperatures at different times of day to reduce unit strain. You can even control via a smartphone when you’re not home.
Check the Nuts and Bolts:
Electrical connections need to be tested, motors might need to be oiled up, and belts tightened.
Preventative Services
Certain maintenance steps are things you can do on your own. Others might be best handled only by a professional. It’s typically a good idea to have a professional service appointment, such as those handled by New Albany air conditioning technicians and contractors twice a year:
- Spring: The bulk of your air conditioner’s work is going to happen in the summer months. Long days of lots of sunlight result in hot temperatures. There might also be more humidity that it needs to remove from your home’s air. As such, you should have someone make sure your system is ready to go before all of this. If you can, schedule this service before you turn the system on for the first time. It’s best for your HVAC system, and you might save money by beating the crowds to the punch.
- Fall: If your air conditioner works hard during the summer, then it might need some TLC when it’s all said and done. Even if you’re still operating it here and there in the fall months, have a professional come out and look it over. At the least, they can prepare it for a long-dormant period. They can also spot and repair issues that you’d rather not surprise you next spring.
Seasonal maintenance in the spring and fall can’t guarantee you will avoid summertime service calls, but it does dramatically minimize the odds of it happening. Summer appointments will possibly be the most expensive. Demand for technicians is higher, and the nature of emergency repairs also makes the bills pile up.
Save More Money by Just Lightening the Load
There are things you can do regularly to help maintain your AC unit and save money on energy bills that don’t directly involve the HVAC system itself:
- Use Fans: Avoid window fans, but ceiling fans, floor fans, tower fans, and desk fans can all help move air in rooms that get overly warm or people spend a lot of time in. They don’t actually lower the temperature all that much, but air movement provides an evaporative effect that makes a room feel as much as 8 degrees Fahrenheit cooler.
- Close Everything Up: Make sure windows and doors are closed tightly. Any heat or air moving through makes your home warmer and harder to cool.
- Set the Thermostat Higher: Even if your AC can get the home down to 68F, is it really necessary? You might love sleeping at that temperature, but it’s easier for your HVAC to hit that mark at night than it is during the day. Consider going into the mid-70s when the sun is out, so you’re using less energy.
- Shade: This can work in two different ways. First, closing blinds and curtains will prevent sunlight from heating your home more than it needs. Second, trees outside that block the sun from hitting your unit can keep it from overheating.
Key Takeaways
Your home’s air conditioner and overall HVAC system are crucial to your comfort and safety.
- Regular maintenance saves you money on your energy costs.
- You can lower your monthly utility bills while also preventing repairs and pushing back replacements.
- Steps you take on your own can save you money, but some things are still best left in the hands of the professionals.
Your air conditioner is there to help keep you cool, but doing these steps to help it can also keep your bills from heating up.
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