6 Surefire Ways to Save Money on Your Air Conditioner This Summer | HVAC Repair in Fort Worth, TX
Heating and air conditioning systems are a must have for the residents of Fort Worth, TX. Especially when the scorching summer heat surpassing the 90-degree mark, making comfortable living in Fort Worth, TX houses challenging. If you don’t want to feel like you are swimming through a bowl of soup, you better crank up that air conditioner when summer is right around the corner. However, the constant use of air conditioner is tied to sky high energy bills. It does not have to be that way though. You can enjoy cool temperature indoors without going regrettably overboard on your energy costs. Aside from homes, businesses can particularly benefit from minimizing their energy expenditures. You do not have to pay more for air conditioning, ventilation or heating than necessary.
Let’s go through some easy to follow tips to help you save energy on your heating and air conditioning systems without compromising on their performance or your comfort.
1. Put an end to cold air seeping out of your home
Unless your home is newly built, chances are that there are various cracks and crevices through which cold air has been seeping out of your home. If your air conditioner is cooling the neighborhood along with your house, your energy bill is inevitably bound to skyrocket. Air condition service men often recommend proper insulation before using your air conditioner because of this. A poorly insulated attic, worn out doors or hard to notice cracks might be contributing to the high energy costs you have been needlessly paying up till now. A good way to locate any leaks is to stand outside your home and run your bare hands along the seams of doors and windows. If you feel cold air escaping, it is time to start insulating by caulking around the leaky area. Signing up for an air conditioning service can reveal all the shortcomings of your air conditioning system as well as the insulation in your home.
2. Increase the temperature of the air conditioner by a few degrees during the night
There are many things we tend to regularly that add up to a hefty energy bill at the end of the month. One of these things is running the air conditioner at the same temperature during the night as you would run it during the day. You do not require the same level of cooling during the night as you do during the day because when you sleep, you are less receptive to temperature changes. Therefore, turning the air conditioner up by a few degrees won’t make a difference to your peaceful slumber but can make a significant difference collectively at the end of the month by reducing its output during the night. Most air conditioners have a “sleep Mode” option which lowers the output of the air conditioner on a timer. Use the “sleep mode” button on the air conditioner to reduce its cumulative energy consumption.
3. Use portable air conditioning units
If you don’t want a central air conditioning system to each and every room of your house, your local air conditioning service expert will advise you to get a window air conditioning unit or one of those portable air conditioning units if you want to minimize your energy costs. The kind of difference that these portable and window units make on your energy bills is nothing short of remarkable. In fact, these units utilize up to 50% less energy than large central air conditioning systems use to cool the same volume of space! So, if you are looking to get yourself an air conditioner for a single or a couple of rooms, you are better off getting window or portable air conditioning units.
4. Close off the vents in the lower half of your home
Basements are usually the coolest region of your home and your air conditioning system may be working overtime to cool up the already cold basement. Have an air conditioning service expert inspect the vents in your basement and close them up. By closing off the vents in the lower portion of your home, you can save a lot of energy and consequently money. It is okay to close off the vents in the basement because the cool air will eventually move down and accumulate there on its own so your air conditioning vents does not have to supply it with cold air actively. With closed vents at the lower portion of your home, your air conditioning system will start forcing all the air up top first, eventually, making its way down and cooling the basement too.
5. Rearranging the furniture properly
Improperly placed furniture could mean your air conditioning vents are spending a lot of energy and time, cooling the back of a hefty sofa. The last thing a homeowner wants to do is to have their air conditioning system redundantly cool furniture instead of empty space in the home. If such is the case, make sure there is no article of furniture that is obstructing or worse, blocking one of your air conditioning vents. If there is nowhere else to move the furniture too or if you feel you can’t move the furniture without compromising the interior décor, no worries. There are plastic pieces available in the market that help your vent force the air in the right direction. Having a thorough air conditioning service, will eliminate such wasteful energy losses.
6. Getting an air conditioning service
Your air conditioning system might be working harder than it should because it isn’t maintained as well as it is supposed to be. Like any machine, your heating and air conditioning system will cost a lot more to operate if it is not running efficiently. You can prevent your air conditioner from sucking up more power, costing you more money by keeping up with its regular maintenance. It is silly to assume you can save money by skipping your annual air conditioning service. In fact, air conditioning service will cost you less in the long term as compared to going without it. Your heating and air conditioning system is also more likely to break down if it doesn’t receive its annual maintenance.