Avoid These Air Conditioning Misconceptions While You Cool Your Home

Reduce Your Energy Bills By Avoiding These Misconceptions

Cool off your home the smart way by avoiding these common air conditioning misconceptions. Find out if any tricks you’re using are actually increasing your energy bills or wearing out your air conditioner. Discover why Next Level HVAC is your premier HVAC contractor in Sonoma and Marin County for reduced energy usage and cool, comfortable interior temperatures this summer in California.

Turning Off Your AC While at Work Is Energy Efficient

Many homeowners believe that turning off their AC while at work is a good way to reduce energy use. While this may give your AC eight hours or more without running, you’ll turn it back on as soon as you get home. This means that your unit will have to run continuously for longer to bring the temperature back down. Overworking your system in this way can reduce the lifetime of your unit and increase the risk of maintenance issues.
 
Set your AC to a reasonable temperature. Your cooling system is designed to power on and off the most efficient way to maintain a comfortable interior temperature. It’s not designed to quickly reduce the temperature of your entire home by a large temperature difference, so doing this day in and day out can damage your AC system.

Fans Reduce Your Home’s Temperature

There’s nothing like a cool breeze on a warm day. Unfortunately, an indoor fan isn’t providing a cool breeze. The air may seem cooler because it’s moving, but it isn’t actually reducing the temperature of your home. As soon as you walk away from your fan or turn it off you’ll experience high temperatures again.
 
An air conditioner is the best way to reliably reduce the temperature in your home. If the air in your home is feeling stagnate, ask a technician at Next Level HVAC about blower maintenance, air filter replacement or other ventilation and AC services.

Reduce Energy Usage by Closing Vents

You may have rooms in your home that you don’t feel you need to heat. Empty guest bedrooms, entryways and other areas may not be used often in summer, so many homeowners shut the vents in these rooms to reduce the amount of air blowing into these rooms.
Your entire home circulates air quickly, so any air forced into a single room will soon draw heat from other rooms. Shutting vents doesn’t affect how hard your compressor is operating, so it can actually cause your AC to run longer and cause compressor issues.

Speed Up Cooling by Lowering the Thermostat

Most air conditioning systems only have a single speed. Whether you have the thermostat temperature set a few degrees lower or 10 degrees lower, the compressor and blower will run at the same speed and power. If you set the temperature extremely low, it could overwork your system and spend unnecessary energy.
 
For more information on common misconceptions and actual ways to reduce your energy bills, contact Next Level HVAC. Request an estimate today for a thorough energy efficiency inspection and personalized maintenance tips from a quality HVAC contractor in Sonoma and Marin County.