subject: How to Keep Your Home Cool on a Budget [print this page] How to Keep Your Home Cool on a Budget How to Keep Your Home Cool on a Budget
Air conditioners work hard during Arizona summers. If you don't take care of them according to the manufacturer's specifications, you're going to see big declines in energy efficiency. According to John Pomeroy of Phoenix HVAC contractor Advanced Air Conditioning,preventive maintenance is the key to keeping your air conditioning bills under control over the course of a long, hot Arizona summer.
If you live in Arizona, summertime invariably brings blistering heat and sky-high utility bills. How can you keep your home cool without blowing your budget? In my experience, regular professional maintenance of your air conditioner is the best way to ensure not only that your system will operating at its maximum efficiency, but also that you'll get through the summer without a breakdown.
Professional Maintenance
Usually, manufacturers recommend professional preventive system maintenance at least once per year, but I think that service every six months is the best way to keep energy costs down. I liken an HVAC "tune-up" to changing the oil in your car. If you don't do it, eventually the car's going to stop running.
Most manufacturers recommend the same types of preventive maintenance. First, your HVAC contractor will clean your air conditioner's coils or condenser. Next, he'll check to make sure all electrical connections are tight. It's also important to make sure that all starting components are in good working order. Lastly, your filters will be checked and, if necessary, replaced. How often your filters need to be replaced depends on your location and how frequently you run your air conditioner. Someone living in Phoenix should change his filters every two or three months.
Duct Cleaning and Airflow Balancing
Preventing breakdowns and expensive utility bills is as simple as following the instructions in your air conditioner owner's manual. But what about duct cleaning, airflow balancing and other frequently advertised "efficiency-boosting" services? In my experience, you shouldn't need these other services if your system has been properly installed and maintained. If someone maintains their system properly and replaces their filters on a regular basis, there should never be a need to have their ducts cleaned, for example, because the filters will keeping them clean.
When it comes to airflow balancing, if your HVAC system was installed properly that is, the right calculations were done airflow should never be an issue. However, if you add on to your home or make other changes to your home's interior, you'll need to have your HVAC contractor do some re-calculating. 95 percent of the time, however, problems with airflow are due to installation errors.
Frequent Start-Up
With regards to actually running your cooling system, are there any tricks that can help keep costs down? My advice to Arizona home owners is a little different than the advice I'd give to someone in another part of the country. In addition to cooling your home, your air conditioner also acts as a dehumidifier. In some parts of the country, this is a benefit. In Phoenix, however, there is no humidity, so you want your air conditioner to turn on and then shut off as quickly as possible. This is where regular maintenance comes into play.
If your system's starting components are properly maintained, frequent start-up shouldn't affect your system's energy efficiency. If you haven't been performing regular maintenance, however, this kind of activity could have an impact on your cooling bill. Again, it's all about preventive maintenance. If you don't want to spend a lot to cool your home, you've got to spend a little now and then to keep your AC system working efficiently.
Unfortunately, too many homeowners ignore their air conditioners and furnaces until they stop working. And when your air conditioner breaks down in August in Arizona, you've got a big problem. Remember, simply calling an HVAC contractor out to check and clean your system twice a year can save you a bundle in repair, energy and replacement costs later.
