How Do I Know if My AC Unit Needs a Tune Up?

Depending on your geographic location, running an AC unit to cool down the interior of your home can set you back to varying degrees. Following are some great tips on how you can make this degree much less acute and still enjoy a cool environment within your home.

1. Avoid the “Set It and Forget It†way of thinking

If you like the convenience of a central unit controlled by a thermostat, adjust the temperature according to the daily conditions. If there will be many people in the house, it’s ok to turn it up to counterbalance the body heat, just be sure to turn it back down as soon as they are gone.
On days no one is home leave the setting low, and feel free to knock it back up a notch or two if the night is especially hot. The goal is to keep the temperature at about 80°, which is a comfortable cool by anyone’s standards.
Coupled with a solid plan to reduce energy expenses during the winter, carefully adjusting the thermostat settings can save as much as $200 in a year — perhaps more if energy saving measures haven’t been practiced regularly.

2. Regularly Clean the Air Filter

Whether your environment is conditioned by a central unit or the type that fits in a window, it is essential that the air filters are kept clean. The dirty filter causes the AC unit to work harder to accomplish less, thus reducing the efficiency of the machine and costing you much more in energy expenses.

The air filters must be addressed at least once a month, many environments high in dust or other airborne contaminants should be addressed more often. With an HVAC system, the filters should be replaced every three months.

3. Regular Maintenance

A professional tune-up will keep your AC running at optimal performance for many moons. In the same way car benefits from a tune up or the human body benefits from a medical check-up, an AC unit can begin to develop small problems with the compressor, motor or wiring that a trained professional can address, successfully prolonging the life of the cooling device.

4. Thinking Small

Cooling the entire home with a central cooling system is luxurious and all, but think about how much you could save by only cooling what needs to be cooled. If 90% of the activities in the home will be done in one single room, think of getting a smaller unit to cool that room alone.

By properly selecting, arranging and enhancing the performance of the AC with stand up or ceiling fans a very cooling effect can be accomplished with minimal energy expenditure.

5. The Energy Star

The Energy Star does much to reduce energy expenses. Whether you are installing an AC unit, a Central Cooling Unit or even having new windows installed, searching for products with this symbol will ensure you are using and paying for only the energy you need.