In times of rising energy costs in Raleigh, making your air conditioner more efficient will help your home be more comfortable, save money, and reduce your energy usage. No matter what kind of air conditioning system you have, or the age of your HVAC system, there are steps you can take to make your air conditioning system more efficient without purchasing a new system.
- Have your air conditioner professionally serviced annually will make for a much more efficient air conditioner.
- Clean your air ducts.
- Install clean air filters regularly. A good rule of thumb is to change out your filters every 30 – 45 days in the cooling season.
- Find and seal all cracks in your house. Small cracks are not uncommon – especially around seams, corners and other areas in your walls and floor. These can usually be sealed with caulk.
- Check the insulation around your windows and doors. These allow the greatest amount of heat exchange, which makes your air conditioner have to work much harder to keep your indoor space cool and comfortable.
- Add weather-stripping to your windows and doors to create the tightest seal possible.
Use high-efficiency windows and doors. Well-insulated windows can reduce your cooling cost by up to 50%.- Add UV coating or film to exterior windows. Many newer windows have low-e coatings, which allow light to enter the room but block the heat and the UV rays. Professionals can add these coatings to the windows or you can possibly even purchase and install the UV deflecting sheets yourself.
- Use blinds and shades to block heat and UV rays from the sun. If you must keep your blinds open, first make sure that side of the house is not facing the sun.
Blinds and shades not only provide privacy, but they also deflect heat from the sun and UV rays that could damage your carpeting and furniture. - Check the insulation in your attic, where a great deal of heat exchange occurs. Properly venting and insulating the attic space will increase air conditioner efficiency.
- Use ventilation fans to carry steam and heat from the bathrooms and kitchen.
- Use ceiling fans to better circulate the cooled air.
- Seal off any unused or unconditioned parts of your home so cooled air will not escape into these areas and heat will not enter.
- Use register/vent booster fans to better circulate the cooled air.
- Make sure the flue in your fireplace chimney is closed. A surprising amount of air exchange can occur through opened flues.
Following these tips will ensure that your Raleigh AC system runs as efficiently as possible. Don’t forget you can call Cool Change Heating & Air 24/7 for your Raleigh Air Condition repair needs. 919-457-2494. Keep cool!
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