You won’t meet a lot of longtime Nashville residents who
aren’t painfully aware of how hot and humid our summer climate is, and how
vital air conditioning is to the comfort of our homes and buildings. Air
conditioning is necessary for comfort sure, but it’s vital to making your
living space even bearable over the summer.
But do you use your air conditioner as efficiently as you
can each year? The good news is, you can make some small changes in your home
and with your cooling practices that can boost AC efficiency, and as a result
save energy and subsequent money, as well.
How so? Read on!
Schedule Maintenance
If there’s any steadfast rule to properly caring for an air
conditioner and ensuring it works as efficiently as possible, it’s this:
schedule maintenance on a routine basis!
It’s during your professional maintenance session that our
technicians will thoroughly inspect your cooling system, making any necessary
adjustments and comprehensively cleaning its components. We’ll also check for
repair needs. Taking care of these repair needs right away lessens the chance
of a “chain reaction” and keeps your system in good shape—and therefore,
efficient.
Have a Home Energy Audit Done
During a home energy audit, our techs provide a
comprehensive assessment of your home to determine where you may be losing air—and
energy. We then make appropriate recommendations so you can improve this. We
may find that you have damaged ductwork that needs sealing, or that you have
drafty windows and doors that could stand to have weather stripping installed.
Once these tasks are completed, you’ll be able to rely on your air conditioner
to work as efficiently as possible.
Use Your Ceiling Fans
A ceiling fan on its own cannot lower the temperature of the
room. But as you probably very well know, they can certainly create a breeze
that makes you feel cooler. The reason for this is because it helps sweat
evaporate from your body, which is how we humans naturally stay cool. On a mild
day, a ceiling fan can be sufficient to keep you cool enough to leave your AC
off altogether.
On a hot day, though, you can using your ceiling fans with your air conditioner. By doing
this, you help evenly distribute the cooled air coming from your AC. This helps
you feel cooler, and you don’t have to turn the thermostat down that low—saving
energy yet again!
Change Your Air Filter
Did you know that the air filter that comes standard with
your air conditioner is not actually there to protect your indoor air quality?
It is in place to protect the inside components of the AC system from dirt,
dust, and other debris that can impede its performance—in other words, make the
system less efficient.
You should be changing your air filter every 1-3 months
during periods of system use. This is dependent too on the type of air filter
you have (there should be a recommendation on the side of the air filter
itself) and the level of contaminants in your home. For instance, a home with significant
pet hair and dander may need its air filter changed more often than one
without.
Need a Helping Hand, Call the Maynard Man! We are the “Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Energy Experts” and we look forward to serving your Nashville air conditioning needs and more.
