HVAC: Air Conditioner Energy Saving Tips

Kozy Services > Heating & Air > Air Conditioner Energy Saving Tips

It costs you more money and uses more energy to cool your home than any other component in your home. Typically, 44% to 50% of your utility bills pay for heating and cooling your home. Regardless of the type of heating and cooling system you have in your house, you can save money and increase comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading your air conditioning and heating equipment. Keep in mind that an energy efficient air conditioner alone will not have as great an impact on your energy bills as using an approach that involves the entire house. If you combine proper heating and cooling equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate attic insulation, plumbing fixtures, attic ventilation and indoor air quality products, you can reduce your energy bills up to 50% annually.

Energy Saving Tips:

• Use attic fans. Attic ventilation fans can remove unwanted hot air that accumulates in your attic. This can go a long way to help the efficiency and life expectancy of your heating and air conditioning equipment.
• Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer and low as comfortably possible in the winter. By maintaining a minimum difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, you'll lower your overall cooling and heating bills.
• Don't reduce your thermostat setting to a colder temperature than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. This "over-steering" will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and unnecessary expense.
• Consider using ceiling fans to help spread the cooled air more effectively through your home without greatly increasing your power use.
• Keep lamps and TV sets away from your air conditioning thermostat.
• Shade air conditioning units by planting trees or shrubs, but make sure you do not block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses up to 10% less electricity than one operating in the sun.
• Close shades or drapes on east and west-facing windows during the hours when the sun's intensity is at its peak. Open drapes and windows during early morning and overnight hours when the air outside the home is cooler.
• Don't turn off the air conditioner and heater if the house will be unoccupied for an extended period of time. Instead use a programmable thermostat to turn air conditioning and heating equipment off and on automatically when you know the house will be unoccupied. (Heating and air conditioning equipment needs to run daily in order to keep moisture levels under control in your home)
• Also, do not use the ac and heating system's central fan to provide circulation after you're ac turns off unless it has a variable speed motor. Leaving the fan on after your air conditioner cycles off will allow the moisture on your evaporator coil to circulate back into your home, causing high humidity.

Here are a few more steps you can take to substantially improve your home's overall energy consumption.

Take a holistic approach to total home energy conservation

To achieve the maximum in home comfort and energy savings, we recommend that you step back and look at the big picture of energy consumption in your home. The fact is your total home comfort and energy efficiency is the product of many systems: heating, air conditioning, attic insulation, plumbing and attic ventilation working together. It is the interplay between these systems, combined with the size, age, physical features and location of your home, and even your lifestyle, that combine to produce the overall energy efficiency of your home. Changing or upgrading one system, without considering the other factors will usually result in some improvement, but may not deliver the maximum possible benefit.

Make sure your heating and cooling system is properly sized

Bigger Is Not Necessarily Better- A bigger central air conditioning unit won't necessarily make your home feel more comfortable during the hot summer months and will most likely perform less efficiently and less effectively than a smaller, properly sized unit. Central air conditioners and furnaces work better if they run for relatively long periods of time as opposed to being constantly switched on and off. The longer running time an air conditioner or furnace is allowed to run, the easier it is for the air conditioner and furnace to hold a more constant room temperature. Running longer will allow the air conditioner to remove more moisture from the air in your home, which reduces humidity and increases the comfort level in your home considerably. Always check heating and air conditioner equipment specifications carefully when choosing the right heating and cooling system for your home. Central air conditioning and heating systems require proper equipment sizing, installation, and maintenance in order to perform to factory specifications.

If you're building a new home, considering a remodeling project, or maybe just looking to update your heating and cooling system, consider a holistic approach. It may cost a little more now, but will undoubtedly save you a bundle over time. Our highly skilled office staff, along with our plumbing and hvac technicians will always look at the big picture when designing the best energy savings solution for your home.

Call us today at 972.276.2544 for a free in-home evaluation from our hvac experts.