Arizona’s scorching summer temperatures mean you can’t go without air conditioning. At the same time, our summers are so hot that ensuring your home is cool can be an expensive proposition. If you’re looking for ways to lower your air conditioning costs this summer, following these tips will help without forcing you to sacrifice your comfort.
Schedule an AC Tune-Up
Your air conditioning system will always cool most efficiently if you have it serviced and inspected every year. Issues like dirty condenser and evaporator coils prevent AC systems from working nearly as well as they should, which is why one of the most essential maintenance tasks is cleaning these coils.
As an AC system ages, it can also be prone to developing leaks that lead to the refrigerant level being too low for the system to cool effectively. That’s why an HVAC technician will also check the refrigerant level when servicing your AC.
Maintaining an AC system requires a wide variety of other tasks as well, and the vast majority of these tasks aren’t anything you can do yourself. That’s why the best option is to have your system serviced by a certified HVAC company. Another reason professional maintenance is important is that attempting to do any DIY work on it could void the warranty on your AC.
Control Your AC System With a Smart Thermostat
If your home has a manual thermostat or a standard programmable unit, upgrading to a smart thermostat can also help to reduce your energy bills. The EPA estimates that using an ENERGY STAR-certified smart thermostat will lower your cooling (and heating) costs by around 8% on average. One reason is that a smart thermostat can independently make minor adjustments to your home’s temperature settings to help your HVAC system work more efficiently.
Another major advantage of a smart thermostat is that it allows you to use an app on your phone to control your air conditioning. Most people turn the temperature on their thermostats up by a few degrees before leaving for work. Doing so is an easy way to ensure that your AC doesn’t run as much when you’re away and waste energy. With a standard programmable thermostat, you have to program it so that the temperature turns back down in the afternoon to ensure your home is cool when you get off work. The issue is that there will often be situations where you may not get home until later than usual, which means your AC will still run unnecessarily. If you have a smart thermostat, you can adjust the temperature settings on the fly to limit the energy your AC uses.
Another great thing about ENERGY STAR smart thermostats is that they have an energy monitoring feature. That means you can always check how much energy your AC is using and then make minor adjustments to your thermostat settings to reduce energy usage. Any ENERGY STAR smart thermostat will also provide information on how your temperature settings affect energy usage and advise you on adjustments you can make to improve the efficiency of your AC to lessen its energy usage.
Cover Your Windows During the Day
While ensuring that your AC system works efficiently is the best way to keep your cooling costs as low as possible, it’s also important to prevent your home from getting as hot. One of the most effective options in this regard is to keep your curtains and blinds covered during the day. Windows are one of the primary sources of heat gain in a home since they let in lots of sunlight and thus heat. All of the heat gain greatly increases the work an AC system has to do, meaning it has to run more often and use additional energy.
If you prefer to keep your windows uncovered when you’re home, another option is to use UV-blocking film on all of your windows. This type of film blocks 99% of UV rays to minimize heat gain through windows but is transparent so you can still see outside.
Don’t Use Heat-Generating Appliances During the Day
Stoves, ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, and clothes dryers all give off quite a bit of heat when in use. This is why you’re best to only use these appliances in the morning or after the sun goes down so that your home doesn’t heat up as much. You’ll still need to eat, but it helps to try and avoid using your stove and oven as much as possible. That can mean trying to cook outside as much as you can or making meals that don’t require the stove or oven.
Whether you need to have your AC serviced or repaired or you want to install a smart thermostat in your home, you can count on El Indio AC for help. We’ve been assisting residents in Tolleson and the West Valley area with all of their home comfort needs since 2002 so give us a call to get the expert HVAC services you need.