subject: Residential Air Conditioning Efficiency - Make It Your Goal [print this page] Residential Air Conditioning Efficiency - Make It Your Goal
So, you already have a residential air conditioning unit installed. However, you are finding that there are areas of the home that are warmer than others. This is a signal that you have a problem. Your options are as diverse as the weather in your area. Do you get a window unit or fill the home with fans? When trying to conserve on your energy and utility bill, here are five tips that can get you going in the right direction:
1. Be sure to have your residential air conditioning unit maintenance every year. If the motor is running an uphill battle to get past the freeze up, you are wasting money and energy. A annual servicing will save you time, headaches, and grouchy, overheated spouses and children in the long run. Money well spent!
2. If you are just looking at cooling down a room because the residential air conditioning system is not meeting all of your needs. Again, you have options. You can buy a fan or two. Sometimes, a fan next to a vent to push the air out into the room a little better helps immensely. Or if that doesn't work, you can purchase a window unit. The caution here is to use it sparingly. Basically, only when someone is in the room. Otherwise, turn it off.
3. Make sure that you have insulated our home properly. No matter which unit you purchase if the air is escaping out of the cracks around the windows and doors, you will be wasting huge amounts of money.
4. Back to the fans, ceiling fans work wonders. Not only do they help circulate the cool air in the winter, but most have a switch so that you can reverse the blades spinning. This pushes the warm air off the ceiling in the winter, down to where you and your family are. This helps the thermostat know the real temperature of the room and keeps it from popping on at regular intervals.
5. And last but not least, turn up your thermostat. Most people can stand a lot more hot or cold than they realize. Keeping your thermostat in the upper 70's to low 80's is another way to keep your bill under control.
Efficiency and energy savings are not rocket science. With these few suggestions you can save yourself hundreds of dollars over the hotter summer months, as well as even in the colder winter ones. In today's economy and ecological state we all have to do all we can to save where ever we can. These five steps are easy, doable, and a win-win for all.
