By Michelle West, Precision Air and Heating
https://www.precisionairandheating.com/
We all know that our air conditioner is one of the most, if not the most power-hungry of all our appliances at home. Once we set up our AC system, we can expect higher utility bills every month. But we can always make our AC unit more energy-efficient.
Energy efficiency starts with AC unit shopping
The road to more energy efficient AC usage begins when you shop for your AC unit. When choosing one, you should always pick the right size. Choose one that’s too big for your home, and it will mean more energy usage because it will have cooling cycles that are too short and will cause it to switch on and off more often. If you pick one that’s too small, cooling your place will take a lot of effort, which uses more energy.
It’s also important to buy an AC unit with a higher Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) rating. The higher the SEER, the more energy-efficient the unit is.
Insulate your home
One of the most common reasons for high utility bills is faulty insulation, especially if your home is a little on the old side. So before running your air conditioner full blast, make sure that ceilings, walls, roof spaces, pipes and air ducts are perfectly insulated.
Use a programmable thermostat
The beauty of a programmable thermostat is that you can set it and forget about it, and save up to 15% on energy costs every year. As soon as you figure out how to program it, you can set it to switch the AC on and off at any time you prefer or raise or lower the temperature automatically at certain points of the day. Just make sure that the thermostat you’re eyeing is compatible with your existing unit.
Dehumidify
If you live in high humidity climates, you would have to dehumidify your home to prevent your AC unit from working too hard. You can use a dehumidifying system, or you can do it naturally by using baking soda and making sure there are no water leaks inside your home.
Keep your AC clean
Clean your inside and outside units regularly because if you don’t, enough dust and dirt will gather and block airflow, which will make your air conditioner work harder and use up more electricity.
Use a Synthetic Refrigerant Additive
You can also opt to add a synthetic engineered catalyst to the refrigerant of your existing AC system. One such product is the SRA or Synthetic Refrigerant Additive from Power Knot. When added to the refrigerant, SRA can help reduce energy consumption from 15% to 35%. Compatible with all common refrigerants, SRA can also help prolong the life of your AC unit.
Schedule regular professional maintenance
To maintain proper performance, you have to get a professional to take a look at it at least once a year. Without routine maintenance, your air conditioner will lose about 5% of its overall efficiency every year. But if you have it checked on a regular basis, you can be sure that it will operate at peak efficiency and cut your monthly energy costs by up to 25%.