Running your air conditioner this summer doesn’t have to be too expensive. There are things you can do to lower your cooling costs while increasing your comfort levels.
Marsh Heating and Air Conditioning is your trusted HVAC company in Shakopee MN. We have been helping homeowners like you keep their cooling systems in tip-top shape since 1974. We have teams of HVAC professionals who are NATE-certified and have multiple years of solid experience in delivering top-notch air conditioning services.
Here are simple steps you can take to increase your air conditioner’s efficiency.
Reflective Roof Painting
A considerable amount of heat in your home comes from sun penetration in your roof throughout the day. To prevent your home from absorbing too much heat, consider using a cool roofing system that adequately reflects the sunlight back instead of absorbing it.
Cool roof systems provide a significantly cooler temperature inside the home because they can shield the roof from absorbing the sun’s heat. Therefore, there is less heat transfer from the roof into the inside of your home, allowing the home to keep a cooler air temperature for a more extended period. This system enables you to minimize your use of AC. According to experts, homes with cool roofing systems are 15-20 percent cooler than homes with regular roofing.
Opening Windows
If the outside temperature is low enough at night, you can let the refreshing outdoor air get into your home by opening your windows and tactically positioning fans. This step can create a relaxing cross breeze, negating the need to run your air conditioner or lower its settings. Be sure to close the windows and shut the blinds before the sun rises, and your home starts to heat up again.
Summer Clothes
Wearing the right clothes for the season allows you to stay comfortable and lower your thermostat settings. Natural, breathable cotton effectively wicks sweat away from the body. On the other hand, synthetic fabrics usually prevent airflow and absorb heat close to the skin, making you uncomfortable. Wearing such kinds of textile causes you to crank up the thermostat, thus increasing your energy usage.
In addition to the material of clothes and bedsheets, you also should consider the color. Light-colored clothes reflect most of the light during the day, and we feel less hot.
Chore Management
Since the temperatures are more relaxed at night, you can opt to do some household activities such as vacuuming and spin-drying clothes. These chores require a lot of energy, but such appliances also increase your home’s temperature. Your dryer creates heat, which is then circulated throughout your home by your central air conditioning system. Laundry and similar activities also need running hot water, which consumes a significant amount of energy. For this reason, try to do these chores at night when the temperates are much lower.
Ceiling Fans
Staying comfortable when it’s hot outside depends more on how the air feels on your skin than the actual temperature. Running a ceiling fan and your air conditioner is a prudent step to minimize your energy use. A ceiling fan can make a room feel up to 10 degrees cooler and uses as low as 10 percent of a central cooling system’s energy consumption.
Running a ceiling fan helps you save money by not having to set the thermostat too low. Also, make sure you set your ceiling fan to work counterclockwise to pull up the cooler air from the ground and circulate it all over the room. Additionally, turn the fan off when you leave the room, as a fan is not helping anyone if there’s nobody there who needs the cool breeze.
Professional AC Maintenance
These steps will help increase your air conditioner’s efficiency and lower your energy bills. However, other steps require specialized tools and expert skills to ensure your cooling system works at its best. To further increase your air conditioner’s efficiency, schedule a maintenance check-up with one of Marsh Heating and Air Conditioning’s teams of HVAC experts. We’ll make sure your AC runs in the most energy-efficient methods while delivering exceptional comfort. We are your reliable Burnsville AC maintenance company. We’d love to help you maintain a comfortable and energy-efficient home in the best possible ways.