Top 5 Things You Should Not Do With Your Air Conditioning Unit
One of the best things in the summer is to walk into your home and feel the cool blast of air coming from your air conditioning unit. But buying and maintaining an air conditioner unit can be costly.
There are some simple mistakes that you could be making with your air conditioning system that will reduce the efficiency of the air coming through. These mistakes can lead to higher energy, and large repair or replacement costs. Here are the top five things that you should avoid doing with your air conditioning system to save energy and repair costs.
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Not Picking the Right Size AC System For Your Home
One size does not fit all when it comes to picking an air conditioner unit. If your unit is too large, it will cycle off and on. This cycling of the system can lead to wild and unwanted temperature changes, and a lot of energy being used.
If the air conditioning unit is too small, it won’t be able to adequately cool the space. It will also struggle to keep up with the cooling demands, and the unit will wear out much more quickly than if it was the right size. If an air conditioning unit is too large or too small, you may have to shell out a lot of money for repairs, or need to replace the whole unit in the near future.
Choosing the correct size air conditioning unit that can deliver the right amount of cooling for your home is critical. You should make sure that your contractor measures your square footage, the layout, and gets an accurate calculation for the load that is needed, and the type of insulation used in your home, before they install the unit.
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Not Changing The Air Filter
Changing the air filter on most air conditioning units is fairly easy and inexpensive, however most homeowners with air conditioning units don’t do this simple task. The air filter is designed to prevent dust and other debris from the outside from entering your home, via the air conditioning unit. Over time, the air filter can become clogged.
The frequency with which you should change your air conditioning unit’s air filter will depend on a few things. For many units, the air filter should be replaced every 2 to 3 months. If you have a pet, run the unit for 6 or more months a year, if you or a person in the household smokes inside, or there is construction near or inside the house, you should be changing the air filter about once a month.
Not changing the air filter can lead to expensive energy costs, and repairs to the air conditioning unit that could have been avoided. In some cases not changing the air filter will lead to freezing inside of the air conditioning unit.
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Running Air Conditioning All the Time
Having your air conditioning running all day wastes a lot of power, and over time can decrease the efficiency of the unit. The air conditioning unit should be turned off when you are not at home. You could also turn up the thermostat when you leave the house if you have pets to keep the home cool, but want to avoid stressing the unit. Most air conditioning units will only take a few minutes to cool down a house, so there is little point to leaving the unit on during the times that you are gone.
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Not Running the Air Conditioning At All
After a long time of not being used, your air conditioning unit may not be in working order, or may not be working properly when you turn the unit back on. Mold may grow inside of the unit, and cause the unit break down. To keep your air conditioning unit in working order, and protect the air quality inside of your home, try to run the air conditioning for a few minutes each day to make sure that the unit is still working, and lower the chance of mold growth.
The inside of your home can also be damaged by not running the air conditioning. Many homes become like an oven, and over time, the temperatures can impact the wood that make up the doors, flooring and cabinets that many homes have. If you are going to be gone for a long time, turn up the thermostat on the air conditioning unit and leave the unit on. If the unit has a timer, use that to cool the house during the day, and turn off at night to save power.
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Incorrect Thermostat Settings
Many people believe that turning the thermostat to the lowest setting will cool the room faster. In many cases, the system will just skip the temperature that you set, and will waste power in the process to cool the room to a lower temperature than it was set for. For most air conditioning units, this huge change in temperature setting can cause the unit to work much harder, and can damage the unit over a long period of time.
As a general rule, the recommended temperature is the highest temperature that you are comfortable with. For most people, the range is between 76 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit, but this varies from person to person. Every degree that your air conditioning unit is set lower than what is normal equals about 7% more power consumption. This will add to your energy bill every time that you turn your air conditioning unit way down to try a cool your house down faster.
For more money-saving tips and ways to take care of your air conditioner, call Armstrong Air & Heating today at 407-877-8090.
