Central air conditioning can represent quite an investment for most homeowners here in the Royal Oak and Bloomfield Hills areas and all across the country, so prolonging the useful life of your A/C is important. On average, an air conditioner compressor unit will last for about a decade or might stretch to 12 years. That average is a bit low because many homeowners neglect annual preventive maintenance. A yearly tune-up and inspection from your local HVAC professional can help extend your cooling system’s life up to 20 years. To avoid over-stressing your A/C, making it old before its time, and to save on energy bills, lower your cooling load with these tips:
- Minimize use of the cooling system in your Birmingham-area home by relying upon ventilation to keep cool when possible.
- Set the temperature up when you go out or use a programmable thermostat to manage your home’s temperature for you (after initial programming).
- Clawson, Sterling Heights and Troy residents, be sure to close windows and doors when A/C is on.
- Don’t cool unoccupied parts of the house. Close doors to those rooms or shut registers–but don’t overdo it–or you’ll add stress to the air conditioner. Ask your Southeast Michigan HVAC contractor about setting up a zoning system so you can cool only the areas needed at any given time.
- Save hot-water washing for evening, running dishwasher and clothes washer/dryers after sunset. Detroit and Rochester homeowners, we’re talking to you also.
- Use exhaust fans when cooking or showering–to help clear out hot, moist air which would add to your cooling load.
- Use ceiling fans to make you feel cooler, then set your thermostat up a few degrees in Oxford and Clarkston.
- Insulate ducts and have them inspected for leaks.
- Clean or replace air filters monthly. Dirt trapped in the filter blocks airflow, causes your system to work harder and can damage it.
At Aladdin Heating & Cooling, our family-owned business has served the home comfort needs of Detroit’s metro area and surrounding region for more than 50 years. Visit us online or call us with your HVAC questions or service needs.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Detroit, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about cooling loads and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock