A properly sized AC unit can struggle to cool your home down on a hot summer day. To keep your AC costs down, you should try to find ways to prevent your home from heating up in the first place as well as to optimize the function of your AC unit. The more steps you take to improve the function of your AC unit, the more you stand to benefit.
Window Films
Much of the heat that builds up in a home is due to the solar rays that stream through your windows. While installing double- or triple-pane windows can help to filter out the sun's rays, if you really want to prevent solar heat gain, you need to install low-e film. Simply coating your windows with this film will reduce your cooling costs by 23%.
Install a House Fan
Unlike ceiling fans, which simply move air around one room in your house, a house fan is designed and installed in such a way that it can pump hot air out of your home. The best way to use a house fan is to turn it on once the outside air temperature starts to fall. You can then pump cool air in even as you pump hot air out of your home. Because a house fan uses 10% of the electricity that an AC unit uses, you can save on costs by using a house fan to cool your home through the night.
Natural Cooling
An AC unit vaporizes refrigerant, which then absorbs heat from the air in your home. Trees release water vapor into the air, and just like the refrigerant running through your AC unit, the vapor will absorb heat from the surrounding air. Once cooled, the air will then settle into your yard. Not only will this cool air help to keep your yard and home cool, but it can have a boosting effect on the function of your condenser coils. The condenser coils are responsible for cooling the refrigerant so that it is ready to vaporize again in the evaporator coils. The cool air from the trees helps the condenser coils cool the refrigerant more efficiently.
An AC unit is one of the most expensive home appliances to operate. While it is a necessary piece of equipment to protect your home from the potentially negative effects of heat exposure, you should not solely rely on your AC unit to keep your home cool. Using multiple strategies is the best way to keep your cooling costs as low as possible. To learn more, contact a company like Century Heating & Air Conditioning Services
Share28 May 2016
I know it can be difficult to make yourself think about getting your furnace running when the skies are sunny and the temperatures are hovering around 90, but it is the best time for you to think about your heating system. Getting ahead of the winter preparation game will help to save on the cost of the repairs because the need for furnace maintenance is usually at a low during the fall season. This blog will show you what you can do to prepare your furnace for winter and when you should hire a professional HVAC technician to take care of it for you.