While the extreme heat in Milton, FL makes it important to stay cool, you don’t want that to be an expensive proposition either. It’s likely that you’ll want to accomplish it easily and affordably. Here are five tips for cooling your home efficiently.
1. Clean Your HVAC Filters
Your AC system is the most important device responsible for keeping your home cool. Since there’s a strong relationship between how smoothly air can flow through your AC and how efficiently your AC can function, good airflow is essential.
Perhaps the greatest impediment to airflow comes from the debris that can gather on your AC’s filters. If too much dust, dirt or other detritus sticks to the filters, it can hamper your AC’s ability to keep you cool and force it to consume more energy as it tries to accomplish this task.
Additionally, since dirty filters prevent your AC from cooling your home, your thermostat may end up forcing the system to work harder than it would need to if its filters were cleaner. This may result in overheating, which will strain and damage your AC, possibly forcing it to shut down completely. Together, these things can seriously compromise the system’s efficiency.
Therefore, you must keep a close watch over your AC’s filters. If you have a traditional HVAC system, we strongly advise you to replace the filters every one to three months. If you own a ductless mini-split, you should clean the filters roughly every two weeks.
2. Seal Ducts and Add Insulation
Ductwork leaks are another major threat to your AC’s efficiency. If some of the cool air that your AC creates can escape through holes in your ductwork, then at least a portion of the energy that your AC consumes will go to waste.
Insulation can also have a significant effect on the efficiency of your AC. If your insulation is strong and effective, heat from outdoors will not radiate into your home in quantities significant enough to interfere with your air conditioner’s work. If your insulation is old and ineffective, your AC will eat up more energy to achieve its goals.
So, you must make sure to seal your ducts and put adequate insulation in place. HVAC technicians can examine both of these things, make the appropriate recommendations and provide you with whatever services your situation may call for.
3. Schedule Maintenance
Because your cooling system’s parts will inevitably endure stress over time, its overall performance will gradually decline as it ages. To stop this decline as much as possible, provide your system with annual or semi-annual tune-ups.
During maintenance, HVAC technicians may also be able to detect latent issues with your AC that have not yet fully emerged. If these issues became obvious, they could significantly reduce your AC’s efficiency. This is another way in which periodic tune-ups can keep efficiency from declining.
4. Upgrade Your Thermostat
If you don’t already own a smart thermostat, then we strongly suggest that you buy and install one. Smart thermostats have far more precise temperature sensors and control systems than manual thermostats do, which allow them to substantially cut down on the amount of energy that your AC may waste while trying to cool your home.
5. Install Energy-Efficient Windows
Even a tiny crack in one of your windows or a small gap between its panes and frame will provide an avenue through which some of the treated air in your home can escape and unconditioned air can enter. Therefore, the effect on cooling efficiency of having such windows is roughly analogous to that of a ductwork leak. It’s advisable to repair your windows or purchase energy-efficient ones that have multiple panes.
Putting some effort into cooling your Milton, FL home more efficiently will save you money and probably increase your level of comfort as well. For help staying cool, call Lunsford Air Conditioning & Heating today, and request our AC services.
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