While other parts of the country are dealing with very severe winter temperatures, we know that in our area, summer weather is just around the corner. There’s no denying that our air conditioners get quite the workout throughout not only summer, but pretty much 11 months out of the year if we’re being honest!
Now is the time to schedule maintenance, if you haven’t done so already. This is just one of the many ways to ensure that your cooling system works as efficiently as possible throughout the season, and throughout the years. The good news is, there are some additional, easy, and even free steps you can take to boost efficiency in addition to keeping up with your annual AC maintenance appointments.
Raise the Temperature on Your Thermostat
We get it, you don’t want your home to be any warmer than it has to be. And that’s not what we are suggesting! But the fact of the matter is that most Florida residents make it colder than it actually needs to be in their home, in an attempt to cool their homes faster, which doesn’t really work how you’d hope.
In order to maintain comfort in most homes, thermostats should be set to about 78°F. But many people set theirs around 72°F. All this does is make your air conditioner run longer to try to achieve this temperature, which is very hard to do when temperatures outside are nearing 100.
By raising the temperature on your thermostat just a bit, you can save energy, and therefore save money. You might also consider raising the temperature even more when you’re sleeping or you aren’t home—even if you have pets, there are other ways to keep them cool inside your home than running your AC at too low of a temperature setting.
Use Your Ceiling Fans!
Ceiling fans cannot lower the temperature of a room. But they can help you feel cooler. On a mild day, you could likely get away with only using your ceiling fans to keep cool. But on an average summer day, you can use your ceiling fans in combination with your forced-air cooling system to better distribute the cooled air.
When you feel cooler, you can adjust the thermostat a big, turning it up so the system doesn’t run as long and saves energy.
Change Your HVAC Air Filter
There’s a pretty common misconception among homeowners that the air filter that comes standard with their HVAC systems is in place to protect their indoor air quality. They certainly don’t hurt your indoor air quality, but that is not their purpose. These air filters are in place to protect the HVAC systems themselves from dust, dirt, and other debris that can get inside and damage the components.
Changing your air filter will ensure that airflow is not restricted, and therefore your air conditioner will have an easier time doing its job. In other words, it will be able to perform as efficiently as possible.
Contact Climate Masters today for professional AC services in St. Augustine, FL. Serving St. Johns County since 1988 with quality, hometown service.
