Air conditioning is a big part of staying comfortable during the summer season. It’s also a hot area of discussion for many homeowners who are looking to save themselves money while running their air conditioning systems. Unfortunately, this has led to many summer cooling misconceptions that need to be straightened out in the minds of all homeowners.
Turning Your Thermostat Way Down Makes It Colder Faster
When you first turn on your air conditioning system, it may feel like an eternity until your home gets nice and cool. Many homeowners are under the false assumption that if they turn their thermostat setting down really low that it will cause their air conditioning system to cool down quicker. In most cases, this isn’t true.
Most air conditioning systems have one speed that the fan can run. This means that it will cool your home at a consistent rate. Only a small number of new air conditioning systems have a variable speed fan that can allow your air conditioning system to speed up its cooling capability when you need it to.
Closing Vents Enhances Efficiency
Your air conditioning system is specifically designed to work with the ducting setup that you have in your home. Whenever you close off any vents, it messes with the internal air pressure of the ducting. This can create problems with your air conditioning system running efficiently. As a general rule of thumb, you should never be closing any of the vents throughout your home.
A Bigger AC Is Better
Another common misconception that many people believe is that a bigger air conditioning system is always better for a home. The reality is that you need to have an air conditioning system that is designed for the cooling capacity that your home needs. If you purchase a system that has a lot more cooling power than you need, it will actually drive up your energy bills.
Having a bigger air conditioning system than your home needs will cause the air conditioner to turn on and off frequently. The system won’t be able to go through an entire cycle, which causes excess humidity to remain inside of your home. The more humid your home is, the hotter it’s going to feel.
Opening Windows Helps With Airflow
Unfortunately, many homeowners fall victim to the concept that opening their windows at night can help to keep their energy bills low. While it might seem like a good idea to begin with, as the air is colder at night, it will actually backfire on you.
When you leave your windows open, you allow more heat to come inside of your home. In addition, that hot air brings in humidity. Both of these are problems that your air conditioning system is going to have to fight with the next morning when it’s turned back on. It will actually consume more energy trying to return your house to a normal temperature than if you were to just leave your windows closed all day long.
Appliances Don’t Produce Much Heat
It’s not uncommon for people to believe that the appliances they have throughout their home do not create a significant amount of heat. However, there are many different appliances that can create lots of heat that your air conditioning system has to battle with.
Running your clothes dryer, oven, or even your dishwasher can produce a large amount of heat. When you couple this heat with the added heat of a regular summer day, it can put your air conditioning system into overdrive, trying to keep your home cool. It’s best to avoid using these heat-producing appliances until the dark hours of the day.
Always Turn Your AC Off When You Leave
Another misconception that you may believe is that turning off your air conditioning system while you’re not at home is great for energy savings. While this statement is partially true, it doesn’t apply to all situations.
On days when you’re going to be at home in the evening, it’s highly advisable to program your thermostat to be 10 degrees warmer than what your normal setting would be. This helps to ensure that your home doesn’t get too warm while you’re away and prevents excess humidity from lingering in your home. If you have your unit completely shut off, it’s unable to run and remove that humidity when it becomes too high.
Friendly AC Service
The HB Home Service Team provides fast and friendly air conditioning services for the Harrisburg, PA, region. We’re also here for all of your heating, plumbing, and propane needs. Just give us a call to get started.