7 Ways to Improve Air Conditioner Efficiency

Everyone wants to be comfortable at home. Staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter is a top priority, but to achieve this, your HVAC system has to be comfortable too. These tips for optimizing your HVAC efficiency will keep your home at a comfortable temperature all year.

How to Keep Your House Cool Naturally Between Seasons

1. Open the windows. Fall is a favorite season for many people and a welcome break from brutal summer temperatures. Similarly, by the time spring rolls around, warmer weather is a relief from the chill of winter. In periods of seasonal transition, don’t ignore your instinct to turn off the thermostat and enjoy the nice weather. Opening windows creates a light breeze through the house and gives your HVAC system a break.

2. Change your air filters in between seasons to continue to lighten the stress on the air conditioner. Dirt, dust, pollen, and other irritants accumulate on the filter year round. Regularly cleaning or replacing the filter will ensure that airflow through your home isn’t obstructed, which can make the HVAC system work harder than necessary.

Warming Up in Winter

3. Use blankets. Instead of cranking up the heat this winter, why not cozy up with a warm blanket instead? Chances are that if you’re up and moving around, you’ll stay pretty warm, but if you’re treating yourself to a lazy day, a blanket—and maybe a steaming cup of hot cocoa—is a perfect companion.

4. Keep the thermostat at a reasonable temperature. For the winter season, 68 degrees during waking hours and a few degrees cooler for sleeping hours are the recommended settings for maximum energy savings.

Keeping Cool in Summer

5. Use lighter linens. Changing your linens to lighter materials, like cotton, will keep you cooler at night so you can sleep like a baby.

6. Don’t set the thermostat too low. HVAC industry experts and the US Department of Energy recommend setting the thermostat to 78 degrees when you’re at home and a few degrees warmer when you’re away to save money on your cooling bill. If you turn the thermostat down too low, your air conditioning unit won’t be able to maintain the difference between internal and external temperatures. This can cause a system failure and result in large sums of money going to an air conditioning contractor as well as your monthly cooling bill.

Finally, a great tip for any season is to invest in a learning thermostat. These thermostats run on Wi-Fi and adjust temperatures based on your habits. In conjunction with the other six tips, your air conditioning system will be more efficient than ever. Taking care of HVAC basics like changing the filter and setting appropriate temperatures can go a long way toward maintaining the life and efficiency of your heating and cooling system.