Central AC Repair El Paso on how to save money.
While everybody loves a cool house on a hot summer day, the high energy bills which often accompany the use of an AC unit can put a huge dent in a homeowner’s monthly budget. Luckily, the more efficient your air conditioner is, the less money you’ll spend each month. However, if you don’t keep track of your unit’s efficiency level you’re not only throwing away money, but you’re also risking a serious malfunction that requires a visit from an El Paso central AC repair technician or other local air conditioning companies. Below, we’ve listed 3 tips that can help ensure your air conditioner runs as efficiently as possible.
Excessive Sunlight
Sunlight streaming through your windows can cause the temperature in your home to increase. Unfortunately, that slight jump forces your air conditioner to work overtime. While you may not want to cover-up all your windows, you should keep the shades closed on the ones that receive the most direct sunlight throughout the day.
Doors and Windows
Cold air escaping from poorly insulated doors and windows can greatly decrease your air conditioner’s effectiveness. Sealing off gaps, no matter how small, helps your home maintain a cooler temperature while also lessening the strain placed on your AC. To eliminate leaks caused by poor insulation, simply apply weather-stripping to your windows and doors.
Replace the Filter
A clogged air filter equals an inefficient AC unit. You can avoid a dirty filter by checking it each month and changing it at least every three months. If you do neglect your filter and it becomes clogged from excessive dirt and debris, you aren’t only wasting money, but you’re also putting your family’s health at risk due to poor indoor air quality.
If you’re concerned your air conditioner is not performing properly, please contact us in El Paso today, and we’ll be happy to help you diagnose and avoid central ac repair malfunctions or assist with El Paso refrigerated air conversion.
11 Quick AC Energy Efficiency Tips for When the Next Heatwave Hits
This summer, the sun is out in full force. No one could argue, the heat waves this year are killer, and there’s likely another one just around the corner. While the kids are having a blast with the last of their summer super-soaker battles and home-made water slides, the adults are fretting about the skyrocketing power bill. Just staying cool enough to live is cartoon eye-popping expensive this year, so it’s no surprise you’re here looking for a few ways to mitigate that killer AC cost.
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. There are actually a ton of different ways lower your AC energy usage, especially when you combine a big handful of tactics for a cumulative cost reduction. Dive into the deep blue pool of savings with us with these ten quick AC energy efficiency tips that any household can use.
1) Keep Your Outdoor AC Unit in the Shade
Build a little awning for your outdoor AC unit. It’s fighting against the heat with everything it’s got, but being soaked in afternoon sun definitely isn’t helping. Whether you buy an awning or DIY it with some string and a tarp, keeping your outdoor compressor unit in the shade can make a significant difference in how efficiently it releases heat from the cold created inside the house.
2) Shade Your Windows While You’re At It
While you’re building awnings, the more shade you can cast on the house, the better. Especially over the windows where the sunshine pours in full-force even through your closed miniblinds. If you’ve got the time and energy, make a little extra outside shade for those windows by creating a horizontal or vertical shade cover outdoors for each window. Focus especially on windows that face the afternoon sun, which creates the most heat.
3) Be Vigilant About Doors and Windows
On cooler nights, you can open your windows at night to let the cool air in. But when the outdoor temperatures top 75, you’re better off keeping the windows and doors closed. Keep every possible aperture shut tight so your AC has the best chance of preserving the cold air it creates.
Now is also a good time to update your weather stripping and window caulk. For doors and windows that open, apply new strips of weatherstripping that will form a seal and keep your cold air in. Windows that don’t open, or the stationary half of an opening window, can be re-sealed with fresh caulk to ensure that cold air isn’t slipping through.
4) Make Your Own Cooling Mists and Breezes
You can lower your perception of the heat indoors by making your own cooling mists and breezes. Make big ice blogs by filling gallon bags with water and freezing them. Then pull them, place them in buckets, and use them to enhance your ceiling and box fans. But fans, in general, are a good idea and splashing a little cool water around can really help.
5) Ease Off the AC When the Night Cools Down
When night falls, and the sun’s brilliant oppression fades, your AC finally stands a chance to dip your home temp below 75. Don’t ask too much more of it than that, though. Enjoy the cool as it comes, but don’t turn your house into an ice-box in your enthusiasm. Let the AC coast at about 73 to save that power bill.
A programmable thermostat can make a real difference here if you know how to set it. Some are even capable of taking an outside temperature measurement and adjusting accordingly, so your AC is never straining too hard for little effect. Use your programmable thermostat if you have one to optimize your AC’s power use for the coolest possible without over-clocking.
6) Light-Colored Curtains Kept Closed
Curtains will keep the sun out of your home, but dark-colored curtains will soak up those rays and turn them into heat inside the house. Not good. Instead, back up your miniblinds with light-colored or even filmy curtains. Light-colored curtains will keep the hot sunshine from pouring into your home without absorbing the light turning your curtains into radiators. Filmy curtains may be even better at this, as they allow diffuse not-so-hot sunlight to illuminate your room without contributing to the indoor heat.
7) Don’t Over-Clock Your AC During the Hottest Times of Day
During the heat of the day, your AC will top-out at some point. Maybe that’s 78, 75, or 73 if you’re lucky. Figure out what that your AC’s limits are and set it only one or two degrees below that. Otherwise, your AC will just keep trying to achieve without actually lowing the temperature. Overclocked, the AC will use more electricity than can actually be useful. Don’t keep asking for 71 when your AC can barely manage 77, or you’re basically just revving the engine for no benefit. Get strategic about setting your thermostat to what your HVAC can achieve.
8) If It Rattles, Fix It
If your AC is making rattling, shaking or loud revving noises beyond the normal, there’s something wrong and slowly getting worse. This means your AC is working hard without as much result as you’d like and it needs to be repaired. Rattling is often the result of something having broken or come loose inside the AC and falling into a fan. A quick AC repair now could save you hundreds of dollars by the time autumn finally gets around to arriving, and the endless heatwaves break. The sooner that rattle is fixed, the less damage you’ll have to repair.
9) If It’s Blowing Warm Air, That Isn’t the Heat Wave
Hold up your hand to the vent when your AC isn’t up to snuff. If you can feel that your AC is blowing warm air, that isn’t an effect of the heatwave. That’s a broken AC, and you’re spending energy for little or no benefit. This is a sign of a seriously out of service and possibly on its last legs. An AC blowing warm air when it should be cold should tell you that your home needs AC repairs before there’s any chance of sweet cooling energy efficiency.
10) Let It Get Up to 80 When Everyone’s Out of the House
Don’t turn the AC off when you leave the house, because it takes a ton of energy to cool it back down again. But don’t leave it at your comfort-temp either. The most efficient choice is to set your AC to about 80 F when everyone leaves for work or school for the day. Then have the first person home set it back down to a livable 75 when they get home.
11) Minimize Time Cooking With the Stove and Oven
Finally, think twice about that baked casserole for dinner. Nothing warms up a house like using the stove and oven. Which is great for energy efficiency in the winter but bad news in the summer. Use the stove more than the oven during a heatwave and, if you can, rely a little more on “Chef Mike” (AKA: your microwave) to keep the extra household heat down.
These killer summer heatwaves don’t have to kill your utilities budget. By taking these steps and other practical measures to increase your home’s temperature efficiency, next heatwave won’t be nearly as painful. For more information about AC maintenance, repairs, and efficiency, contact us today!
The guys in the yellow booties are here for all your air conditioner repair needs, along with expert swamp cooler conversions. Look to the pros if you have any questions about converting to refrigerated air conditioning with SoBellas Home Services of El Paso, Texas. Call us with questions like, how much does refrigerated air cost or anything about El Paso refrigerated air conversion.
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