Easy Tips to Increase Your Air Conditioner's Efficiency

Running your air conditioner is perhaps the most energy-consuming task in your home this summer. In fact, the Department of Energy estimates that nearly half of your monthly energy expenses come from running your HVAC system. As such, you would likely prefer taking some steps to make it a little bit more efficient, right?

Four Seasons Air Specialists is your trusted HVAC company in Forest Lake MN. We are experts at maintaining air conditioners, making sure they’re as energy-efficient as possible. With that in mind, here are a few tips you may want to consider.

Minimize your AC’s workload.

The harder your cooling system has to work, the more wear and tear it deals with. If you can minimize the heat in your home in other ways, you lessen the stress and reduce the amount of energy the system uses. Both steps will significantly reduce your costs.

Here are some ideas to reduce the amount of work your air conditioner has to do:

Use blinds or curtains.

The sun allows a lot of heat to enter your home through the windows. So, consider covering them to reduce the load on your unit.

Use lamps wisely.

If you have a lamp near your thermostat, it will think it’s much warmer than it is, which causes the air conditioner to work harder. Therefore, move any lamps and other things that create heat, further away from the thermostat.

Vacuum your registers regularly.

If your vents and registers are clean, the cool air will circulate through them better, taking away cold and hot spots in your home. Vacuum the registers and vents weekly to keep things flowing.

Time your oven and dryer use properly.

Both your oven and dryer generate a significant amount of heat. Whenever possible, avoid using them from noon until four—the hottest parts of the day. If you do use them at this time, your air conditioner might have to run constantly to reach your desired temperature.

A considerable amount of heat in your home comes from sun penetration in your roof throughout the day. To prevent your home from absorbing too much heat, consider using a cool roofing system that adequately reflects the sunlight instead of absorbing it.
Use reflective roof painting.

Cool roof systems provide a significantly cooler temperature inside the home because they can shield the roof from absorbing the sun's heat. Therefore, there is less heat transfer from the roof into the inside of your home, allowing the home to keep a cooler air temperature for a more extended period. This system enables you to minimize your use of AC. According to experts, homes with cool roofing systems are 15-20 percent cooler than homes with regular roofing.

Position your thermostat properly.

Thermostat placement plays an integral part in your air conditioner’s performance. By placing it on a wall that is near a hot window, the unit will have to start much more often than it needs to since it presumes that the room is hot.

Also, avoid placing TV sets, lamps, and other heat-generating pieces of equipment close to the thermostat. It senses the heat, which will then cause the AC to run longer than it has to.

Rather, position it on the interior wall of a room that is often used. If you have a smart thermostat, make sure that it is not obstructed by decorations, bookshelves, and doors. The purpose is for the sensors to work properly. Moreover, you must locate it near your Wi-Fi so it will always stay connected to your account.

Use ceiling fans.

Staying comfortable when it's hot outside depends more on how the air feels on your skin than the actual temperature. Running a ceiling fan and your air conditioner is a prudent step to minimize your energy use. A ceiling fan can make a room feel up to 10 degrees cooler and uses as low as 10 percent of a central cooling system's energy consumption.

Running a ceiling fan helps you save money by not having to set the thermostat too low. Also, make sure you set your ceiling fan to work counterclockwise to pull up the cooler air from the ground and circulate it all over the room. Additionally, turn the fan off when you leave the room, as a fan is not helping anyone if there's nobody there who needs the cool breeze.

Need Help? Call Four Seasons Air Specialists

The single most effective way to increase your AC’s efficiency is to have it professionally maintained at least once per year. As your preferred Hugo AC repair and maintenance company, we guarantee your unit will work in the most efficient way possible.