Although we’re closing in on the end of summer, there are still going to be plenty of ‘cooling days’ left this year. A ‘cooling day’ is described as any day in which the temperature is high enough to warrant turning on the air conditioning system in your home.
Making sure that your cooling system is still working properly is essential to helping you get through the remainder of summer and then into the fall season when the days might get warm from time to time. Rely on any or all of these strategies to improve the efficiency of your cooling system and to make sure that it runs properly until the end of the season.
1. Clean the filter. At the top of the list is cleaning the air conditioner’s filter. Even window units have a filter that should be cleaned or replaced as needed. Keeping the filter clean will improve efficiency and help to ensure that it operates properly for as long as possible.
2. Set your thermostat to a reasonable temperature. You might like your home cold on those steaming hot days, but the cooler you set the thermostat, the more you’re going to spend.
You’re also going to place an increase burden on the air conditioner itself.
3. Keep unused rooms closed when running the central air conditioning system. If there are certain rooms in your home that you don’t use much during the summer, or during the day, close the air conditioning vents in them and then keep the doors closed.
This will keep you from wasting energy by cooling those rooms as well.
4. Use a timed thermostat when you go to work. Raise the temperature on your thermostat when you head to work, then program it to drop the temperature in the home about an hour before you plan to return.
This will help you avoid cooling your home for several hours when no one’s there.
5. Check for leaks in the ducts. While most of the ductwork in your home runs behind the walls, you can still check the ducts in the basement. Inspect it for leaks. You can usually feel a draft coming through the seams and this would need to be sealed using a special tape that can withstand moisture. Believe it or not, common duct tape does not work well in these situations.
Check with your local HVAC specialist to find out what type of tape you can use. Even when the cooling season is over, it’s a good idea to consider these tips in preparation for the next one.