The heatwave outside forcing homeowners to keep
their HVAC system on the whole day. But it’s not cooling your home as before.
So, you lowered the air conditioner temperature, and now your air conditioner
is producing cool air. But you are worried about the air conditioning cost.
Sounds familiar? No worries.
When your air conditioner is old or not in its prime
condition, your air conditioner efficiency will be reduced. As a result, you’ll
have to deal with high cooling bills. In this article, I’ll talk about a few
no-cost ways to improve air conditioner efficiency.
4 No-Cost Ways to Improve AC
Efficiency
1.
Clean the Outdoor Condenser Unit
The outdoor condenser unit is an important part of
the air conditioner as it releases the indoor heat to the environment. If it
doesn’t function properly, your air conditioner won’t be able to efficiently
release the heat to the environment. As a result, overall air conditioner
performance will be decreased, and you’ll have to deal with high cooling bills.
Unfortunately, many homeowners in the US neglect the
outdoor condenser unit, and eventually, their air conditioner starts to perform
poorly.
If you want your air conditioner to remove heat
efficiently, you’ll have to clean all the dust and debris from the outdoor
condenser unit. As the outdoor condenser unit stays outside of the house, it
gets dirty quickly. It’s truer when it’s summer. However, while cleaning, don’t
use water. If you do so, it’ll do more harm than good. Instead, use a damp
cloth to clean the outdoor condenser unit.
Also, don’t forget to cut the overgrown bushes.
Sometimes, overgrown bushes create hindrance in air supply. As a result, your
air conditioner fails to produce the desired cooling, and your comfort gets
compromised.
For thorough cleaning, contact with an HVAC
professional.
2.
Increase the Air Conditioner Thermostat Temperature
You may be shocked to see this, but this is true.
However, I am not telling you to sit in the heat, but set the air conditioner
temperature to the ideal temperature. The ideal air conditioner thermostat
temperature is between 66 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many homeowners set the air conditioner thermostat
temperature to very low. As a result, the air conditioner has to work harder to
produce the desired cooling. Eventually, the air conditioner starts to have
more wear, and tear and air conditioner's efficiency decreases.
But when you set the temperature to the ideal
temperature, your air conditioner will have to work less to produce the desired
cooling. As a result, your air conditioner will have less wear, and tear and
efficiency won’t reduce. That’s why it’s recommended that you set the air
conditioner thermostat temperature as close to the outside temperature.
When you do this, the air conditioner workload
decreases, and it starts to work efficiently.
3.
Keep Heating Devices Away from the Air Conditioner Thermostat
If you have any heating device or lamp near the air
conditioner thermostat then move them to another corner. When there’s a heating
device or lamp near the air conditioner thermostat, the thermostat will tell
the air conditioner to cool the air more. As a result, you’ll feel
uncomfortable, and your air conditioner will never reach your set desired
temperature. Again, because of this, your air conditioner will have to work
hard and run for a long time. Eventually, your electric bills will go up, and
efficiency will be reduced.
That’s why it’s recommended that you move the lamp
or heating device from the air conditioner thermostat.
4.
Keep Curtains Closed
When the heat of the sun directly enters through the
window of your house, the temperature of your house increases. When this
happens, your air conditioner thermostat reads the temperature and tell your
air conditioner to lower the temperature more. As a result, your air
conditioner has to run longer to produce the desired cooling and starts to
consume more electricity.
But if you keep the curtains closed, you can block
the sun's heat from entering your space. As a result, your house's temperature
won’t increase, and your air conditioner won’t have to run longer. Eventually,
your air conditioner’s efficiency will be increased.
These are the four no-cost ways to improve the
efficiency of your air conditioner. Remember, you don’t always have to spend
money to increase the efficiency of your air conditioner. You’ll have to
understand how your HVAC system works and take steps accordingly. Also, don’t
forget to do regular HVAC maintenance checkups. Regular HVAC checkups increase
the efficiency of your AC and keep your AC healthy.
See the summary of this content here in this
infographic – No-Cost
Ways to Improve AC Efficiency [Infographic]
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