Caring for your home comfort systems.
Two of the most important things you can do to care for your whole house air conditioner is: change your filters at least twice a year and schedule a preseason air conditioning tune-up. Filters should be changed at least once in the spring and once in the fall. If your filters become plugged it increases the amount of energy required to operate your furnace and air conditioner. Plugged or dirty filters can damage your Air Conditioning System and shorten its life. A preseason air conditioning tune-up will keep your system working to maximum efficiency reducing energy bills. A well maintained air conditioning system can last as long as 15 to 20 years.
Some other energy saving tips for the Cooling Season:
- Pull drapes to block out some of the sun’s radiant heat when you know it will be a warm day, especially on the south and west side of your home.
- Set your thermostat for the desired indoor temperature earlier in the day when the weatherman is predicting 88 degrees or more. A properly sized air conditioner will cool and dehumidify, but if the house is allowed to reach 80+ degrees inside before the air conditioner is turned on, it may take many hours for the system to catch up.
- Have a preseason maintenance check performed on your system. Remember, you get what you pay for so be sure to have a reputable company perform your Air Conditioning Tune-up.
- Balance more air to the second floor using the dampers in your supply runs if you notice your second floor several degrees warmer than the first floor in the summertime. Hot air rises up stairways and the attic stores the rising heat all day long, sometimes reaching 120 degrees. (Review our March Newsletter for instructions regarding balancing air flow between floors.)
- Be sure you have at least 6” of attic insulation, 10” is preferred. Anything less than 6 or 10 inches of attic insulation and you may be getting toasty, even after the sun goes down. All the stored attic heat from the day penetrates through the ceiling heating the areas below. This is known as the “fly wheel affect”.
- Installing an attic fan will automatically push hot air to the outside when the temperature reaches 95 degrees in the attic space. This relieves some of the heat gain on the space below the attic.
- If your air conditioning system is approaching the end of it life span (over 15 years) it could pay to be proactive. Most air conditioning contractors begin to get busy after the warm weather hits and you will receive better pricing during the preseason.
- Installing high efficiency air conditioners will reduce operating costs and can provide superior humidity control and comfort. The government mandated Air Conditioning Manufacturers to improve the efficiencies for air conditioning systems several years ago. Today, even a relatively standard efficiency unit (lower cost investment) will reduce the cost of cooling your home by 25% to 35% over a unit installed 15 years ago.
Have an Enjoyable Spring and Summer, Stay Comfortable.
Mike Foraker, President, Jennings Heating Company
Jennings Heating has been serving Northeast Ohio for 82 Years
CEA, Certified Energy Auditor
BEP, Business Energy Professional
CEM, Certified Energy Manager
REP, Renewable Energy Professional
AEE, Member of Association of Energy Engineers
Licensed Heating and Cooling, State of Ohio
