Ways To Make Your AC Unit More Efficient

When the weather outside starts to heat up, you may dread those costly energy bills. While you may think the only way to lower your energy bills is to use your air conditioning system less often, there are other options. The tips we’ll cover below will boost your cooling system’s overall efficiency and lower your energy bills throughout the summer months.

Schedule Annual Maintenance

One of the best things you can do to ensure the best operation of your cooling system is to get annual maintenance service. By calling one of our professional HVAC technicians, you can get your entire system checked over to ensure there are no malfunctioning components. When you know that your cooling system can operate at its peak efficiency, you can be pretty sure that you’re not wasting money on excess energy bills.

Keep Up With Filter Changes

Another must-do to ensure your system is always at its peak efficiency is to perform regular air filter changes. When your air filter reaches the end of its lifespan, it will be so packed full of debris that your air conditioning system will have to overwork to push air through it. It’s a good idea to check your air filter at least once a month and change it as soon as you can no longer see through it.

Keep Your Outdoor Unit Clear

Your outdoor condenser unit is responsible for dispersing the hot air from inside your home to the outdoors. Debris that is pushed up against this unit will restrict its airflow and overall ability to disperse that heat. You should be checking your outdoor unit after every major storm and removing any debris, like leaves, that gets pushed up against it. Also, if you notice that any of the metal fins in your unit are bent, you’ll want to straighten them back out.

Use Ceiling Fans

Another necessity is to ensure that you’re using ceiling fans in each of your home’s main rooms. In summer, you want each fan spinning counterclockwise so it is forcing air down onto you as you’re sitting in the room. This helps to create a windchill effect that can make the room feel cooler than its actual temperature.

Use Exhaust Fans

When you get humidity trapped inside your home, it makes it feel much hotter than the temperature actually is. You want to actively work to prevent humidity inside your home by using exhaust fans. Whenever you’re cooking over the stove, run your range hood fan. Whenever you’re taking a shower, your bathroom exhaust fan should be on. These fans will direct any steam created directly to the outdoors.

Seal Up Air Leaks

One of the biggest efficiency killers with regard to your air conditioning system is air leaks on your exterior walls. Over time, settling of your house can result in unwanted air gaps forming around your doors, windows, outlets, and even light switches. These small leaks can allow hot air from the outside to penetrate into your home. You’ll want to locate these leaks and seal them off with weather stripping, caulking, or a foam insert that sits behind the cover plate.

Ventilate Your Attic

When the summer weather heats up, your attic will get extremely hot. The hotter your attic gets, the more hot air will radiate down into your home. One of the best things that you can do to help prevent attic overheating is to ventilate it. While there are many different ways to do this, a simple cross vent where you have two vents on either side of your attic will be more than enough to significantly reduce the temperature.

Increase Your Insulation

It’s crucial to think of insulation as a necessary barrier between the inside of your home and the outdoors. Every type of insulation receives a specific R-value, which refers to how resistant it is to temperature changes. The higher the R-value, the more resistant the insulation will be. If your home doesn’t have insulation or doesn’t meet the recommended minimum R-value for your region, it’s time to consider getting new insulation.

Whole-Home Dehumidifier

With onshore airflow coming in from the Pacific Ocean, humidity levels can get extremely high in the Anaheim area. Unfortunately, when this humidity gets trapped inside your home, it can feel extremely hot. A whole-home dehumidifier can be a great investment. This unit will work alongside your cooling system to remove excess humidity from your indoor air. When your indoor air is less humid, your entire household will be more comfortable.

Keep Your Vents Clear

If you have a central air conditioning system, then you have vents in each room of your home. You need to ensure that every one of those vents is free from any obstructions like furniture or plants. What’s more, you should never close any of your vents, as this can affect the air pressure inside your ducting and decrease the overall efficiency of your cooling system.

Use Curtains

When you have windows that receive direct sunlight throughout the day, they can allow a lot of heat to enter your home. One of the best ways to combat this problem is to simply block out the sunlight. You can do this with simple curtains or blinds. If you want to spend a little more money, you can invest in a UV-resistant window film. Or, you can opt to plan shading greenery to shield those windows.

Avoid Creating Heat Indoors

One of the worst things you can do for the efficiency of your cooling system is to create unnecessary heat indoors. Things like cooking on the stove and drying your clothes can be detrimental to your energy savings. Instead, opt for moving these activities outside. Use an outdoor grill to cook your meals. Dry your clothes on a clothesline. Air dry your hair instead of using a blow dryer.

Turn Off Unused Electronic Devices

If you’re like most homeowners, you leave your appliances and electrical devices on regardless of whether you’re using them. Unfortunately, these devices can create unnecessary heat even when they’re in standby mode. Make it a habit to turn off all appliances and electrical devices that you’re not currently using to prevent this unnecessary heat generation.

Upgrade to a New Air Conditioner

If your existing cooling system is over 10 years old, it’s likely nowhere as efficient as newer equipment. Probably the best thing you can do to enhance the overall efficiency of your system is to replace it with a brand new one. New systems not only give you the peace of mind that you’re unlikely to deal with an unexpected breakdown, but they also allow you to reach efficiency levels that your older system simply can’t achieve.

Expert HVAC Service

Associated Heating & Air offers expert AC service for the Anaheim, CA community. We can also help with all your heating and ductless mini-split needs. We offer indoor air quality testing plus solutions like UV lights, air purifiers, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and smart thermostats, too.

Call our team at Associated Heating & Air today to learn more or make an appointment!