You won’t meet many homeowners here in the New Jersey area who aren’t thankful for the use of central air conditioning. It’s essential in making our homes not only comfortable, but bearable. If your cooling system isn’t working the way you expect it to though, then it might be time to call for repairs, or if you haven’t scheduled it yet, maintenance.
When you skip necessary repairs and maintenance, you run the risk of your air conditioner behaving inefficiently. The good news is, in addition to staying on top of these needs, there are steps you can take to improve your AC efficiency, and therefore use less energy and save money. Read on for some of these steps.
Raise the Temp on Your Thermostat
We get it, this may sound like counterintuitive advice. Bear with us for a moment! We don’t expect you to make your home any hotter than it should be. However, you might be turning your thermostat settings down much lower than they actually need to be for you to be comfortable.
Homeowners sometimes have their thermostat set as low as 71° when actually, most people are perfectly comfortable at 78 throughout the day. Plus, you’re able to save energy and money by raising the temperature when you are away, or while you’re sleeping. There’s no need to waste energy by cooling a home that’s not in use. Nor is there a reason to waste energy by lowering temperatures far more than you actually need.
Use Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans can’t keep you cool all on their own. What we mean is, a fan doesn’t lower the temperature of the room that it’s in. Ceiling fans can, however, make you feel cooler. This is because they help sweat evaporate from your body, which is your natural way of keeping cool. On a mild day, a ceiling fan may be sufficient by itself it keeping you feeling cool, and can even keep bills lower because you won’t need to run your AC.
But when you do run your AC, ceiling fans help push cool air down, and keep warm air rising. Therefore, paring these ceiling fans with your central air conditioner enables you to run that air conditioner at a higher temperature and for less time, lowering your monthly energy use.
Don’t Forget to Change the Air Filter
The air filter that comes within your HVAC systems, over time, gets clogged up with dust, dirt, and debris. This makes it difficult to get proper airflow within your system, and your air conditioner has a harder time keeping you cool.
As a result, your AC system may malfunction. Be sure to change your air filter every 1-3 months during periods of system use. This is also dependent on the level of contaminants in your home as well as the type of filter you have, so feel free to reach out for guidance!
Established in 1912, Max Sr & Paul Schoenwalder Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, A Corp. is your trusted resource for reliable services on your air conditioning in Berkeley Heights, NJ. Reach out to us today.