When you lighten your home’s cooling load, you’ll improve your air conditioner’s (A/C) efficiency, which in turn does several important things:
- Allows your A/C to use less electricity, which means lower energy costs.
- Enables the A/C to operate the way it was built to work. If your A/C is overworked, you’ll need to repair or replac
e the expensive mechanical and electrical parts much sooner than they were intended. - Finally, an efficient A/C runs quietly and keeps your home at a comfortable and constant temperature.
How you can improve your A/C efficiency by reducing the cooling load:
- The key is to reduce the size of the cooling job your A/C has to do.
- Start by consistently using the exhaust fan in your kitchen, it will remove some of the heat from cooking so your A/C doesn’t have to cool the heated air. The exhaust fan in your bathroom works the same way. Turn it on while you’re taking a hot shower.
- Your washer, dryer and dishwasher all use a lot of electricity. Run them during the cooler hours of the day so your A/C has fewer internal loads to compete with. Modern appliances usually have time delays, so you can automatically set them to start later in the night. Also, when you’re buying new appliances, choose a model certified by the federal Energy Star program so you know it meets strict efficiency standards without sacrificing performance.
- Shutting the blinds during the day goes a long way toward helping your A/C operate efficiently. When your A/C isn’t competing with the sunshine-warmed air, it will have an easier time keeping you cool.
- Air sealing is another important aspect of efficient A/C operation. You don’t want conditioned air leaking out, so check the weatherstripping on your doors and windows. If possible, install new energy-efficient windows or a heat-reflecting roof.
- Finally, take advantage of your natural climate. If it’s as cool as or cooler than your thermostat setting at night, turn off the A/C and let nature cool your home. Leave the windows open till the morning heat rises higher than your indoor temperature.
If you’d like to ask the experts how you can improve air conditioner efficiency in your Twin Cities area home, contact Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air conditioner efficiency and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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