The long, hot Novi and Royal Oak summers can take a serious toll on your air conditioner, reducing its efficiency and inviting common air conditioning problems that can be expensive to repair and result in considerable inconvenience and discomfort. In addition to scheduling preventive maintenance, which is your first defense against high home cooling costs and midsummer breakdowns, these tips will help you take some of the pressure off your compressor and keep your air conditioner humming efficiently all summer long.
Operate your air conditioner wisely:
- Keep exterior doors and windows closed whenever operating your air conditioner.
- Raise your thermostat setting when you leave the house and when you retire at night. For every degree you turn up your thermostat above 78 degrees, you will save up to 5 percent on cooling costs.
- Refrain from operating heat-generating appliances like your dishwasher and oven during the day, which increases your cooling load and makes your air conditioner work harder.
- Close the supply register in unoccupied rooms, such as the guest room or extra bathroom. Don’t close off more than 20 percent of your registers, though, or you’ll risk air flow problems.
Increase your comfort while lowering the thermostat:
- Use your ceiling fans to create a cooling breeze when you enter a room.
- Close your blinds during the day to help prevent heat gain through your windows.
- Seal air leaks in your home to reduce the amount of conditioned air that escapes.
- Seal and insulate your ductwork to save considerably on energy costs.
- Perform heavy-duty housekeeping tasks during cooler times of the day.
Maintain your system:
- Keep the area around your indoor unit clean to prevent dust from building up inside your system, lowering its efficiency.
- Hose down your outdoor unit monthly to remove dirt and debris.
- Check your air filter monthly and replace it when you can’t see through it.
For more expert advice about increasing your comfort this summer while reducing your home cooling costs, please feel free to contact us at Aladdin Heating & Cooling, proudly serving the Southfield and Clawson areas with a high level of customer satisfaction.
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 home cooling and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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