How to Keep Your Home Chill Without Overworking Your AC
When the hot summer months roll back around, you’ll likely be relying heavily on your home air conditioning system to stay cool and comfortable. While having an AC system can be great, running it non-stop can lead to some costly energy bills. Fortunately, you can keep these bills in check by implementing the following helpful tactics for keeping your home cool without overworking your air conditioning system.
Use Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are an absolute must when it comes to home cooling. You want to install them in your kitchen, living room, bedroom, and every other major room in your home. Make sure that they’re all spinning in a counterclockwise direction that forces air down onto you during the warm weather months. This will create a windchill effect on the body that will make the room feel much cooler than it is. Turn fans off when you’re not in the room to avoid wasting energy.
Vent Steam Outdoors
When you cook on the stove or take a hot shower, you’re producing steam that can get trapped inside your home. This increase in humidity will make your home feel hotter and have you turning down your thermostat settings. Instead, you’ll want to vent all the steam that you create directly to the outdoors. You can do this via the rangehood over your stove and the exhaust fans in your bathrooms.
Frequent Air Filter Changes
Your air conditioning system has an air filter that works to remove airborne allergens and debris. As the filter reaches the end of its usable lifespan, it can get so full of airborne particles that your AC system will struggle to pull air through it. This can cause your AC system to overwork while it struggles to adequately cool down your home. To avoid overworking your cooling system, simply keep up with regular air filter changes. A good rule of thumb is to check your air filter each month by holding it up to a light source to see if you can no longer see through it. Make sure that you have extra air filters on hand so that you can easily replace them when it’s necessary.
Don’t Create Heat Indoors
When you use a clothes dryer or use your oven, you’re putting heat in your home. Unfortunately, your air conditioning system has to work overtime to adequately cool your home back down to your desired temperature setting. Instead, opt for cooking outdoors on a grill and air-drying your clothes.
Block Out Direct Sunlight
Direct sunlight has been shown to heat a room by over 10 degrees. It’s a good idea to opt for blocking out direct sunlight during daylight hours so that your cooling system doesn’t have to combat the temperature rise. You can do this with UV window film, blinds, curtains, or by planting shade foliage outside your windows.
Use a Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat is easily programmable so that you can set the desired temperature for different times throughout the day. A great tactic to help save on your energy bills while avoiding overworking your cooling system is to turn up the temperature during the hours that you’re away from your home. There’s no need to cool your home when no one is there to enjoy it. Rather, set the temperature to go back down to a comfortable level around an hour before you arrive back home.
Seal Off Air Leaks
As your home settles and its materials go through the natural process of expansion and contraction throughout the years, unwanted air leaks can develop around your doors and windows. You want to feel around these areas to see if you notice a difference in air temperature. In spots where you do, you’ll want to use weatherstripping or caulking to seal off those air leaks. Furthermore, be sure to assess the outlets and light switches on your exterior walls for air leaks. If you have any leaks, you can use a specialized foam insert to put behind the cover plate to seal off the air leak.
Beef Up Your Insulation
If your home lacks proper insulation, it can allow unwanted hot outdoor air to penetrate inside your home. You should invest in insulation that meets or exceeds the recommended R-value for your area. Having insulation in all of your exterior walls and attics is a must to keep your cool air trapped indoors during the hot summer months.
Vent Your Attic
As the summer weather heats up, the temperature inside your attic will increase. Without proper ventilation, that hot air can get trapped and start penetrating down into the rooms of your home. You’ll want to aim to properly ventilate your attic space with at least two open areas for a cross-wind effect to take place.
Invest in a Whole-Home Dehumidifier
New York is one of those states that is well known for its humid climate. When that humidity gets trapped inside your home, it can restrict your body’s ability to naturally cool down through sweating. This will cause your body temperature to remain high and have you turning down your thermostat to compensate. With a whole-home dehumidifier, you can easily remove that excess humidity and keep your home feeling comfortable throughout the entire summer season.
Get Annual Maintenance Service
It’s highly recommended that you have your air conditioning system serviced by a licensed HVAC technician in the spring months. During your service, they’ll take care of ensuring that all of your cooling system’s internal components are working properly so that your system can be extremely efficient.
Keep Your Condenser Unit Free From Debris
The outdoor condenser unit for your cooling system disperses hot air from inside your home to the outdoors. When unwanted debris, like leaves and twigs, sticks up against the outside of your condenser unit, its airflow will be restricted. When your condenser unit doesn’t have proper airflow, it can lead to decreased system efficiency.
Get Rid of Incandescent Lighting
If you’ve ever touched a light bulb when it was running, then you know just how hot it can be. These lights use a lot of energy and create unwanted heat. Instead of allowing that unnecessary heat to get released into your home, consider investing in newer LED lighting. LED lighting is brighter, uses way less energy, and doesn’t create any heat.
Get Your Ducting Sealed
Ductwork is well-known for developing unwanted leaks and gaps over time due to the natural process of expansion and contraction. Unfortunately, this can allow some of your precious cooled air to escape into your wall and floor cavities. One of the best ways to stop this from happening is to invest in professional duct sealing services.
Trustworthy AC Service
Vastola Heating & Cooling offers trustworthy AC service for the entire Orchard Park, NY community. We can also assist with all of your heating, heat pump, ductless mini-split, generator, electrical, ductwork, indoor air quality, duct sealing, water heater, snow melt, and smart thermostat needs. Give our office a buzz today to schedule your next service appointment.