Florida weather is often unpredictable and keeping your home cool throughout the year is a priority. The following tips and tricks will help your central air conditioner work more efficiently, saving energy and money at the same time. Most of them are incredibly simple and can save you up to $500 each year!
Tip 1 – Use Fans
The first thing that you can do to help your central air conditioner work at its peak is to make use of fans. Ceiling fans are often preferred because they help to circulate the air throughout the room, but box fans or even whole-home fans can work, too. Make sure that the fans are all turned on so that the air in every room can circulate. Air cools as it moves, so the more that the air is moving around in your home, the less work your air conditioner must do to keep it that way. This not only saves you money, but it increases the longevity of your unit at the same time.
Tip 2 – Check Vents
Another thing that you can do is check the vents throughout your home. Make sure that the ones in large rooms are completely open while the ones in smaller rooms are open only enough to allow for a comfortable temperature. Similarly, it is important to ensure that drapes, pots containing plants, furniture and other objects are not blocking these vents. This can significantly restrict airflow and make your central air conditioner work harder to cool your home. There are attachments that can be added to floor registers that will allow you to direct airflow away from large objects or those that cannot be moved.
Tip 3 – Use Blinds and Drapes
Although the Florida sunshine is beautiful and almost everyone who lives here enjoys the view, using blinds and drapes to block out the sun during the hottest parts of the day can drastically decrease the temperature in your home. In fact, it is possible to reduce the temperature inside a home by as much as 10 degrees – even during the summer – simply by keeping the sunlight out. While standard blinds and curtains are better than nothing at all, investing in those that are designed to keep UV rays at bay and block heat is preferable.
Tip 4 – Wait Until Sundown to Run ‘Hot’ Appliances
Finally, many homeowners fail to recognize the amount of heat that is generated by the appliances in their homes. Dishwashers, clothes dryers and ovens all generate tons of heat regardless of how well they are vented. Dishwashers, especially, add a significant amount of humidity to the air. If at all possible, wait until after sundown to run these appliances in order to reduce the amount of heat and humidity in your home. If you must dry clothes or use the oven during the day, make sure that you have a good ventilation system installed and that it is running at the same time.
If you believe that the airflow in your home is restricted or your central air conditioner is not running as it should despite following all of these tips, we here at A Superior Air Conditioning can help. Simply give us a call and we will send our friendly technicians to your home to solve any HVAC issue you may have.
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