Air Conditioning Service: Feeling Guilty For Keeping Your Air Con On? Here Are 15 Different Ways To Get Your Conscience Back | Fort Worth, TX
Photo By Eva-Katalin at istock
So, you’ve just hired an air conditioning service and have got that air con unit installed to see you through those hot and sticky summer days in Fort Worth, TX. Those hot days turn into hot evenings, which turn into hot nights, and quite frankly, it feels as though you’re never going to switch the machine off.
Air conditioning and air conditioning service is a must if you want to keep comfortable, which is why it can end up staying on all day. It will help take out the heat and humidity from the air and will cool down the other appliances in the house. You’ll work and carry out the domestic chores in more comfort and you’ll sleep much better too. It can even help improve air quality by filtering out irritant air particles, which could help you if you have allergies.
But despite all the benefits the air conditioning unit holds, the truth is it’s consuming energy, a burden for your utility bill as well as the environment.
A report by the Paris-based intergovernmental organization the International Energy Agency (IAE), air conditioning units eat up 10 percent of all electricity that is produced around the world. Your air conditioning unit may even eat up 16 percent of your electricity bill at home.
Before you start feeling guilty, however, as experts in air conditioning service, we’ve come up with 15 ways you can save energy even if you feel your air-con must stay on all day. Whether they are quick fixes or more long-term investments in your home, you’ll save energy in the long run, while doing your part for the environment. It also helps to keep in touch with your local air conditioning service.
How to cut down your energy use – conscience saving methods for the environmentally-minded.
The possibilities for power saving, when it comes to your air conditioning unit, range from simple to more involved. For instance, you can simply change a few household habits or you can alter some design aspects of your home. You can also call in an air conditioning service more often for regular maintenance work.
Let’s consider these possibilities.
1. Alter the time of day for chores
Many domestic chores require the use of some sort of home appliance. You use the oven when you’re cooking, the washer/dryer when you do the laundry and the dishwasher after a meal. These appliances, however, are also using energy and generating heat, potentially making your air conditioning unit run overtime. Try using them in the evening instead when it’s cooler outside, which will help reduce the usage of your air con. Store up your dishes and throw your clothes in the machine during the day, but don’t switch the appliances on until the evening. You can also try and keep your lights, television and PC turned off when you’re not using them as these also generate energy and heat. An air conditioning service professional may be able to help you determine the best time for your area.
2. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
The proverb never rang more true. Cooking generates heat, an obvious fact, but everyone has to eat right. Takeout fans may fully embrace the opportunity to save energy and put down their apron. If you’re the kind of person, however, who enjoys cooking up a storm, or a heatwave in this instance, then explore ways to cook outside, particularly during the hotter Fort Worth, TX, months. The summers are a great time of year to have a barbecue whether you have guests or not. You can also explore using an outdoor gas-powered unit. Other hacks include eating more cold foods like salads and quiches, or making meals that take less time to cook.
3. Take the counter-intuitive approach and increase your home’s temperature
This might sound controversial, but a little known fact is that raising the temperature on your thermostat will result in less need for the air conditioner. Reducing the difference between the indoor and outdoor climate means you need less cooling air, thus using less energy overall. Your air conditioning service professional can explain how you can reduce your bill by two percent for every 10 degrees fahrenheit reduction, according to a European survey. Ideally, there should be no more than an eight degree difference between the temperature inside and the temperature outside. You can also use an automated thermostat, to save you forgetting.
4. Use a ceiling fan
The thing about a ceiling fan, is that it helps you reduce the amount of air conditioning and air conditioning service you need to keep your entire home cool. you can put the air con on to cool the air in its vicinity while a fan helps to distribute it further. This aids the overall efficiency of your air conditioning unit as you can use it less intensely and lower your energy costs. Using a few table fans around the room also helps.
5. Block out the sun
Mr. sunshine will stay all day unless you set some boundaries. It’s nice to see the sun gleaming through but the reality is, your room will feel hotter. To keep your rooms a little cooler, try and block out the amount of sun that beams into your home through windows and other openings. This will reduce the amount of cool air needed, your air conditioning use and energy costs. Keep the sun out by shutting any windows or doors that are facing the sun and draw your curtains or blinds. You can also get light-coloured backings for your curtain that deflect the sun and you can also tint your windows. Solar screen also effectively disrupts solar energy by up to 70 percent before it enters your home, particularly not the east and west faces of the building. Talk to your air conditioning service professional about some options.
6. Don’t keep your air conditioning unit on when you’re not using it
Another obvious one, but many of us need reminding all too often. If you’re not at home or don’t need it on, switch it off. Rather than keeping your home cool, it will be an unnecessary drain on your energy considerations. Overusing it might also lead to functional issues arising when you need your air con the most. If you do run into problems, call an air conditioning service like One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating® to fix your unit as soon as possible.
7. Get energy efficient doors and windows
Good home maintenance also goes a long way in ensuring you’re using energy efficiently in your home, overall, reducing your energy bills. One way to do this is by reinforcing your windows and doors to ensure there are no drafts, whether that is by getting replacement windows or sealing up any leaks that’s allowing the cool air inside the home to escape. There are windows and doors that have special energy ratings that can help you choose new products that will help keep your cool air inside. On a more general point, while the evenings are a little cooler, make the most of the breeze that can come in naturally and keep your windows and doors ajar.
8. Insulate your home
Home insulation isn’t just for keeping your home warm. As well as keeping warm air in your house, it also keeps it outside. And it keeps the cool air inside too and enhances the cooling ability of your air conditioning unit. There are different options for insulation from spray foam to fibre-glass batting.
9. Hang out in the cool places
Who’s to say you have to stay inside or even at ground level or above. One thing we learnt in high school physics is that heat rises, so get as low as you can and the basement will usually do the trick. If you have one already, that’s perfect, or perhaps you’re considering a conversion. The earth is also a natural insulator, which protects you from the outside elements. The other alternative if you have one, is the pool, a dip will be sure to cool you down.
10. Design your lawn with energy efficiency in mind
Landscaping might seem like a grandiose term, but you can essentially design your garden to create shade that will protect your home from the heat of the sun. Position trees, plants, or climbing vines around your lawn, which can be aided by employing a gardener or landscaper. Consider it an investment as you’ll be increasing the overall efficiency of your home, not to mention its kerb appeal. You’ll also be putting more CO2 back into the air, which is a plus for your conscience.
11. Lighten up
By allowing more natural light to permeate your home, you are reducing the need to switch on the lightbulbs that generate a lot of heat, which might lead you to ramping up the air conditioning more than you originally intended. While shutting the sun out is also advisable, you can control how much light you let in by using blinds, or part opening your curtains. Also, consider painting your wall a lighter color, which will reflect heat – white works best – and this applies to the exterior of your house as well.
12. Use the right air conditioning service
A reputable air conditioning service will ensure you get a quality installation. One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating® in Fort Worth, TX can advise you on the right size unit for your home for optimum cooling and energy saving efficiency.
13. Cool down
Sometimes it is just you who needs to cool down rather than your home, and it will save you energy in the long run. Dress appropriately for the weather and avoid layers. If you feel hot at night then try and make your bed cooler with a cooling device for your pillow and make your sheets colder with a fan. A fan in your room will also give you a nice cool breeze to help you sleep. You can also use cold packs to try and lower your body temperature.
14. Don’t neglect routine maintenance
Even while your air conditioning unit is running without any hiccups, you still need to get it maintained every year with a reputable air conditioning service. The best time to do this is just before the summer months hit and that way you won’t have any snags when you really need your air con. an air conditioning service can ensure your unit is running as efficiently as it can by replacing any broken parts. In between these checks you can ensure your unit’s filter are cleaned out from time to time, which will also improve the quality of air in your room as well as save you energy.
15. Upgrading your air con unit
If you’ve had your unit for a while then you may be in need of an upgrade. A modern system is more likely to be energy efficient as air conditioning units can deteriorate over the years. You can also check how energy efficient your unit is through the manufacturing ratings and which energy regulators have approved your products. If these 15 tips aren’t enough, and you’re still in doubt, you can contact your local air conditioning service and One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating® will be happy to advise.
Operating in Fort worth, TX and its surrounding areas, One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating® knows how important air conditioning is in your daily life as well as the impact on the environment and on your purse strings.
Our air conditioning service places efficiency, quality and value central to our service. It is within our ethics to be on time to cater to your urgent air conditioning needs.
So, call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating® today and find out just how they are the air conditioning service for you.