There are not many things that an HVAC professional will tell you that you can do on your own when it comes to servicing your air conditioner or heater. The fact of the matter is that for bigger repairs and large-scale maintenance, you only want a professional doing it, for many reasons–not the least of which is for your safety. There are components of your air conditioner, like refrigerant, that can be hazardous.
That said, there are some small things you can do to both help maintain your air conditioner and help it run more efficiently, draining less power and costing you less to run. For example, keeping the parts clean that you’re able to, like the air filter and the exterior of the outside unit. We’ll talk about this more below, in addition to some other tips to boost your air conditioning efficiency this year!
Increase the Temperature
No, no, we don’t want you to make it hotter than it needs to be in your home as the temperatures outside warm up too, that wouldn’t make any sense! Bear with us…
While we don’t expect you to make your household warmer than it needs to be, there is a fair chance that you could be running your air conditioner at a lower temperature than necessary. Many homeowners, for example, set their thermostats as low as 71°F, when in reality, most members of their household would actually be perfectly comfortable at about 78°F during the day. In addition, you can save energy and, subsequently, save more money, by raising the temperature when nobody is home or when everyone is sleeping and therefore not active.
Use Your Ceiling Fans
A ceiling fan is not capable of lowering the temperature of a room to keep you cool all by itself. However, ceiling fans can certainly help household members feel cooler, by helping sweat evaporate from the body, which is our natural way of keeping cool.
On a mild spring day, ceiling fans may be sufficient enough to keep you cool and keep your bills lower by allowing you to avoid turning on the air conditioner, but they help on hot days too! Ceiling fans push cooled air down and keep warm air rising. So, when you use ceiling fans in combination with your air conditioner, you can therefore use your air conditioner more efficiently.
Change the Air Filter and Clean the Outdoor Unit
We mentioned this one above. The air filter that comes standard with your HVAC systems is in place to protect those systems from dirt, dust, and other debris that can get inside and damage sensitive components. If this air filter gets too clogged up, it can restrict airflow and therefore make it harder for your air conditioner to reach the desired temperature on the thermostat.
Changing your air filter every 1-3 months, depending on the type of filter you have and the level of contaminants in your home, will help keep that airflow going, and therefore keep your air conditioner operating efficiently. Cleaning the outdoor unit of branches, leaves, twigs, etc. will do the same!
At Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc., your comfort is our promise! To set up an appointment in the Cedar Falls area, give us a call at the number above, email customerservice@daltonphc.com or schedule an appointment online for air conditioning repair in Waterloo, IA.