You might be surprised to learn the importance of landscaping around the outside compressor unit of your central split-system air conditioner or heat pump. The main purpose of proper landscaping around your outdoor A/C unit is keeping it shaded, but you’ll also want it to have plenty of airflow, plus it’s not aesthetically displeasing.
Why Should the Unit Be Shaded?
It helps to understand the function of the outside unit in terms of your home’s cooling system. It releases heat energy into the outside air via a refrigerant-filled condensing coil. That process of heat exchange is much more efficient when the heat is being released into cooler air. The air around a shaded outside unit can be six degrees cooler than air that gets direct sunshine. The outside component is also more likely to overheat when exposed to sunshine for much of the day, which can damage the compressor.
Tips for Landscaping Around Your Outdoor A/C Unit
- As stated, shading the unit is highly recommended.
- Don’t block the A/C’s access panel with landscaping. Your HVAC technician must have clear access.
- Make sure there’s plenty of clearance around the unit to allow adequate airflow. This includes landscaping, fencing or anything else that could impede the vital flow of air. The recommended clearance is two to three feet on each side and five feet above.
- Keep loose dirt and sand away from the area surrounding the outside unit. You don’t want mud or dirt to get into the machinery.
- Plant trees to shade the outside unit, as well as your home itself. Leaf-shedding trees provide cooling shade in the summer and allow warming solar energy into your home in the winter. You can slash energy bills significantly if your home is shaded in the summer. The same goes if it’s exposed to solar heat in the winter, especially if you have large windows on the south and west sides of the house.
For more advice on landscaping around your outside A/C unit, please contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning. We provide quality HVAC services in the Twin Cities area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about A/Cs and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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