In all the years I have been in the HVAC business, I’ve noticed homeowners tend to have several mistakes in common with one another. These simple mistakes can cost you a lot of money or even compromise your system. Put these useful tips to work at home to maximize energy and effectiveness of your air conditioner.
The most common thing we see is homeowners wanting to up size their unit. This can cause the level of efficiency to go down significantly. Your air conditioner has two jobs: 1. cool your home 2. remove moisture from the air. An oversized unit may cool the air quickly, but it will not run long enough to remove the moisture in the air. This causes that cold clammy feel within your home. Over-sized units also tend to cycle on and off quite frequently. Not only will this shorten the life of the unit but it will cause your energy bill to be higher as well.
The next most common thing we see is homeowners thinking that maintenance is unnecessary. Your air conditioner works really hard all season long. Neglecting this is like driving your car all over the country and never getting an oil change. Your air filters should be changed out monthly. A certified HVAC technician will test safety controls and check things like the temperature drop across your evaporator coil and make sure your motor is running at the proper amperage. By checking these things you can possibly catch a small issue early before it turns into a large issue during the middle of the sweltering summer.
If you turn your thermostat off or up while you’re away, don’t turn it down to an usually cold temperature once you return. Your home air conditioner does not work the same way your car air conditioner works. This does not cause your house to cool faster. If you end up forgetting to turn it back to a normal temperature, you will end up with a frigid house and a high energy bill. In the event that you are doing something like this, you probably don’t have a programmable thermostat. We highly recommend you get one. Click here to learn more about programmable thermostats.
