5 Easy Ways to Save Energy in Your Home
TLDR: In order to save money on your energy bill you can use precise thermostat settings, clean air filters and adequate airflow in combination with good AC unit maintenance practices to keep your machine working at peak performance.
When it comes to keeping your home cool or warm during certain times of the year, it can quickly lead to higher energy costs and more maintenance on your air conditioning system. However, there are several ways that you can lighten that load on your wallet through simple techniques and a bit of planning.
Whether you have an expensive central air unit or the more efficient ductless mini-split, these general rules for optimizing power usage, air flow efficiency and filter condition can save you money anytime of the year!
1. Use Your Thermostat Correctly
All air conditioning units come with a device, either built in or installed separately, that controls the operation of the system. The thermostat is an important thing to understand, especially when it comes to maintaining cost efficient temperature control. Here are a few things that can impact your thermostats ability to work correctly:
- If your thermostat is near something that creates heat it can improperly read the temperature, possibly making it activate more often or prematurely..
- Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature and let it be! Constantly changing the settings will cause your AC to turn on and off erratically when it can usually get to the set temperature given enough time.
- Use a programmable thermostat. With timed parameters and customizable options for every day of the week you can compensate for when you know you won’t be home and guarantee that the unit is only running when you need it the most.
Investing in a SMART thermostat is another good idea, as the ability to precisely control how and when your unit powers on is essential for not wasting energy. The experts at AC Authority can help recommend and install SMART thermostats for you home that work with any air conditioning system.
2. Take Care Of Your Air Filters
As your unit draws in air, that air passes through a filter. This serves a few main purposes: to remove debri and allergens from the air to increase the overall air quality and to keep that same debris from entering into your system (and ductwork if your system utilizes it). But over time, the filter will retain that dust and debris, making it harder for the system to draw in and expel air, which ultimately forces it to draw on more energy overall.
Pro tip: Keeping your filter clean also increases the overall quality of the air within your home. It can even help reduce allergies during the pollen-heavy seasons.
AC Authority recommends replacing disposable filters every three months at least and cleaning removable filters every month. Certain units that rely on ductwork may also need the ducts cleaned as well. That same debris and dust builds up in the duct system and can also impact the energy efficiency of the system.
3. Control Airflow Within Your Home
Making sure that your cooled or heated air is flowing unobstructed and is being directed to the correct areas within your home will increase the efficiency of any AC system. The airflow of your air conditioning unit is affected by several things:
- The position of the vents either on the unit itself or on the ductwork throughout your home. It is best to not close all of the vents (if you have multiple) as this can backfire and make the system work harder, but make sure that the hottest or coolest parts of your home are receiving as much air as possible.
- If your unit is at window or floor height, make sure there is no furniture blocking the blowers path and make sure the unit has some empty space around it. If things get too crowded, the unit will become hot itself, drastically lowering its ability to run efficiently.
- Open any doors in areas that you are trying to influence to make sure that the air can get to the space.
- Utilize a fan to push air where you want it to go. This also helps cool a space more quickly during the hotter months.
- Control The Sunlight And Air coming Into Your Home
Direct sunlight can make your home much hotter, while improperly sealed doors and windows mean that the outside temperature can influence the environment. Less related to your AC unit directly, but this can make your system fight an upwards battle when it comes to controlling the temperature. Cold air can come in through cracks in your houses sealing, while sunlight can make rooms incredibly hot over time.
Shades or blinds can keep sunlight out, while getting the selas along your doors and windows check will help make sure they aren’t allowing air in or out.
5. Get Your AC System Inspected Regularly
Easily the most important practice on this list is making sure that your system is being maintained properly. Small operating issues can build up over time, resulting in a drop in performance or a spike in energy usage. Other times, your thermostat may be having issues that would otherwise go unnoticed unless examined by a professional.
AC Authority offers a unique solution to AC maintenance that you can’t find anywhere else: Maintenance Comfort Guard. This maintenance plan monitors your air conditioner 24/7 for any changes to its operations, no matter how small. We will quickly arrive to assess the change and fix it as part of the plan, so you don’t have to worry about your energy bill skyrocketing due to faulty equipment.
Energy Saving Key Takeaways
Making sure that your energy bill is consistent is easily accomplished by utilizing your thermostat correctly, keeping your filters cleaned, allowing proper airflow within your home, keeping the weather outside and keeping up with your AC unit’s maintenance. With these simple tips you can save money any time of year, no matter the temperature.