Living without air conditioning is pretty much impossible nowadays. A good AC unit is one of the miracles of the 21st century. We are no longer forced to endure intense heat in our homes. No longer do we have to choose between letting mosquitoes into our homes when opening windows during those hot summer nights, and suffocating from the heat. With an AC unit, we can stay cool and fresh no matter what kind of sub-Saharan situations is situating outside.
This is all the more important because of global warming, the environment falling apart, and the increase in global temperatures. Which kind of leads us to our point – how to help your AC weather the weather.
Namely, you don’t want to just sink a lot of money into your AC and into your electricity bills. There is a difference between investing in comforts, and actually being wasteful. For this reason, we have written up the article below.
The tips and tricks that can be found further down in the article deal with how you can get the most out of your air-conditioning unit. It shows how you can boost its efficiency, its lifespan, how to make the most out of your old or rundown or simply used AC. Some are tied directly to your Air conditioning unit, while other tips are more about how to indirectly assist it through making some changes in your home.
Keep an eye on your vents
This is the most common mistake people make, one that is also rather easy to fix. Namely, you want to keep an eye on your vents and keep them open if you can.
The air conditioning unit takes indoor heat and it pushes it outside the home (to put it rather simply). The pushing out part is rather important since your AC can’t really do that if your vents are clogged up. Clothing, dressers, toys, dog beds, doesn’t matter – if the vents are clogged, you are going to get into trouble. Whether they are being blocked directly, or whether the pipes are being pressed, it doesn’t matter –you need to keep an eye on things like this and not let your AC feet blocked.
If you don’t watch out, your air conditioning unit can overheat, maybe even get severely damaged. Choking off supply vents and exit vents can increase the pressure within the entire system, leading to serious damage.
Seal any leaks
One of the worst and most wasteful drains of energy and resources in apartments or houses comes from leaks. Namely, you spend all this money, all this energy, all this manpower to get a good cool or heating unit in your home, and then all that heat just escapes away. You want to plug any and all leaks within your home. If you don’t, hot air escapes during the winter, and it enters during the summer. No matter how small or big your home is, you will be forcing your AC to work overtime.
This is especially problematic for large, older houses. Air leaks can come about from your attic, around your door, windows… Seal everything up properly, work long and hard on making things work, maybe even hire a specialist if you need to.
Have it regularly maintained
One of the key ways your AC will start using too much power and have lacklustre cooling results is because of simple wear and tear. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to replace it just yet. Rather, you can always have it maintained, fixed up. Maybe it’s dirty and needs a good professional wash. On the other hand, maybe some parts are a bit too worn and need to be fixed up.
Now, don’t fall to the temptation of fixing this up yourself. Unless you have years of experience in this field, you should leave it to the professionals. A good company like Farran Heit, for example, will fix your AC up quickly and efficiently. If you start working on it yourself you can irreparably damage it. Furthermore, AC units have coolants within them that can be very hazardous to your health if you get in contact with them. So, leave things to the professionals, rather than risking getting hurt and damaging your equipment.
Lower your heating needs in the first place
A great way you can help out your AC is to simply use it less. Of course, what’s the point if you’re just supposed to tough the heat out? Rather, we suggest you try to get as little heat as possible into your home. First, as we’ve mentioned, avoid leaks. Next, we advise you to shade up your windows, get some exterior blinds, some curtains, shutters…
Trees, pergolas, overhangs, anything that can help minimize the amount of sunlight and heat your home absorbs the better. Instead of needing to cool off your home for 2 hours, you might only have to do it for 1. This adds up significantly over time, and you will notice the results both in the lifespan of your AC, and your electricity bills.
Try getting some solar panels
Solar panels can be a serious boon to your home and your house. First of all, you get an excellent, environmentally friendly free source of energy. Your bills and your expenses will drastically diminish and decrease.
Now, you will offset your energy consumption with your solar panels, thus minimizing your impact on the environment. However, on a more simpler and direct level, your solar panels will soak up some of the heat that hits the roof of your house, serving as a kind of extra buffer between your home and your roof.
Get your insulation in check
You want to get your insulation in check if you want to make the most out your air conditioning unit. Have it spread about evenly, cover every vital part of your home. Don’t forget your attic as well, most often you will need some extra insulation there.
Think about your appliances
Try to get some energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs. Incandescent bulbs radiate heat, they make your entire home a bit warmer. However, more importantly, they drain energy, they increase your bills. We suggest you replace them with energy-efficient bulbs and just get rid of them as soon as possible.
Also, think about the appliances you use. There must be some energy-efficient ones that don’t release much heat. And for those that do, use them less often. For example, when you start up your oven, use it only for as much time as you really need it. Keeping the stove on any longer than you have to means you are unnecessarily heating up your home. On that same note, why not cook different foods. Instead of having a big pot of soup or stew cooking for several hours, just radiating heat throughout the entire home, why not make a quick stir fry?
Get a smart thermostat
Getting a smart thermostat is a pretty good idea as well. You can have much more control over your heating and the general temperature in your home if your smart thermostat is there to help you out and assist you in getting things under control.
Conclusion
And there you have it folks, a couple of things you can do to get the most out of your air conditioner. We advise you to get some solar panels to reduce your energy consumption. Getting a smart thermostat, better appliances, and regularly maintain your AC will do wonders. We also advise you to plug up any leaks or holes in your home, so as not to have any heat enter or cold air exit your home.
