THE HOME IS THE FASTEST AND BEST PLACE TO CONSERVE IN YOUR DAILY LIFE, COMFORT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EXPENSE…

SAVINGS
Air Conditioning Units - $5 a month
Location of your AC Unit - $5 - $10 a month                                    Regular Maintenance on AC unit - $2 a month
Hot Day Preparation - $5 - $10 a month
Do your Hot Chores very early or late - $5 a month
Balance your house with your registers - $5 a month

Air Conditioning (AC) Units: Make sure your air conditioning unit is the right size for the area it covers. An AC unit that is smaller will use more energy by continually being on in order to cool a larger area than it was built for.  An AC unit that is made for a larger area than needed, is a waste of money to buy; it will also cool the area too quickly meaning the unit will have to turn on and off more frequently. If the AC unit turns on and off quickly it most likely did not have the time to reduce humidity within the home, making you uncomfortable. Instead buy a more efficient AC unit that is made for your area within your home or business. 

Location of your AC Unit: The ACs location has a lot to do with its efficiency. If you have a choice, place the AC unit in the best-shaded area around you house, usually the North East area.  If the sun shines directly on the AC unit then the coils in the unit cannot cool down meaning the AC unit can’t cool the air it blows throughout your house and so has to work harder. Keep shrubbery away from the AC unit to keep up circulation around the unit, venting and exhausting air.  Even though you need to keep shrubbery away from your AC unit you can plant 1-2 feet away from the unit to block any direct sunlight from hitting the unit. 

Regular Maintenance on AC Unit: By maintaining the unit monthly, you will keep circulation up on your unit and make sure that the liquid inside the unit will be cooled quicker transferring efficiency into the house. To maintain the unit, make sure all metal sheets around the coils of the AC unit are not bent or broken.  Also make sure they are clear from debris, these metal sheets actually help cool the coils within the compressor.  Anything that stops the circulation of air around this metal will result in a less efficient AC Unit. Also it may be a good idea to ask an AC specialist to come and check pressure of the chemicals within the coils in the AC unit. If your AC unit is older or looks well used, ask a specialist to come for a quick check up, a $35 expense, which could save you over $100+ if there is a leak or any type of problem.  In addition, another way of saving money on AC specialists is to contact them in the winter when their work is slow.

Hot Day Preparation: There are two very important things to do when it is a very hot day. First close any air intakes throughout the house.  Any air that can leak to the outside of the house loses cold air inside, keep the air circulation inside the house. It is easier to cool down cold air then cooling new air from the outside which would be hot. Second, set your thermostat to 80 degrees and turn on any fans you may have in the house.  This way the furnace is not on all day and so giving it no time to cool down.

Do all of your Hot Chores during the evening or Mornings: In order to keep you home comfortable during the hot times of the day do all of your dishes, laundry, cooking, bathing, and any activity that would introduce hot air into the home during the cold hours of the day.  We suggest that you do these things in the late evening, so you don’t warm up your house in the morning just to cool it back down with your AC.  These activities do more than introduce heat but also introduce humidity, which worsens you comfort level. Use all warm/hot appliances in your house during the late evening or very early morning periods.

Balance your house with your registers: Most houses have registers on the floor, ceiling, or wall that can be adjusted.  First off, when you are not using rooms, shut the door and close down the adjustable register, this will cut off the airflow into that room.  During the summer, since cold air falls, close all of the registers on the bottom floor, open the registers in the middle floor half way, and all the registers on the top floor open completely. Make sure there is nothing blocking airflow between floors and that cold air being pumped to the top floor will slowly begin to flow down the stairs and after cooling the top floor will soon make its way downstairs cooling all lower floors.