Give Your AC A Break
Nobody likes sweating through their shirt in a hot, stuffy house. Running the air conditioning is a great way to keep a home nice and cool, but it can also drive your utility bills through the roof. Overworking your air conditioner is also a great way to shorten the lifespan of your HVAC system.
There are some simple steps you can take to cool your home and lighten the workload for your air conditioning. By implementing these tips into your routine, you can lower your utility bills, extend the longevity of your HVAC system, and keep your house cooler than it’s ever been before.
Close Your Blinds
Sometimes the simplest solutions to a problem are also the most effective. When the air in your house is insufferably hot on a steamy August day, the summer sun is the obvious culprit. The sun’s rays are likely penetrating your home through the windows and heating the air inside with brutal intensity. In order to stop this from happening, you need to block those rays before they reach the interior of your home.
Using any window treatments will do the trick, but thermal blinds are designed especially for this purpose. You can also try using blackout curtains or interior shutters. The relative darkness might take some getting used to, but your HVAC system will appreciate the relief.
Keep Fans Running
Moving the air around in your home is a great way to avoid summer stuffiness that can be so horribly draining. Ceiling fans will send refreshing air flowing down into your living space, cooling the entire home while providing instant relief for everyone inside. Portable fans scattered throughout the home will also serve to keep the air moving.
To really make the most of your portable fans, you can try putting a bowl of ice in front of them. This might seem like a silly idea, but it actually does a remarkable job of dispersing cool bursts of air throughout the home.
Shift Your Schedule
Many of your daily indoor activities have the unfortunate side effect of producing excessive amounts of heat. Cooking on the stove or the oven will only add to the heat, creating a cauldron of hot air that your HVAC system will struggle to overpower. Dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers also give off copious amounts of heat, turning your home into a veritable furnace.
If you wait until the evening to cook and use your appliances, you’ll avoid combining the heat from these machines with the hottest rays of the midday sun. Not only will you lighten the load for your HVAC system, but you’ll also have an easier time doing housework during the cooler part of the day.
Invest in Proper Insulation
People sometimes forget that insulation is just as important for the warm air of the summer as it is for the cold air of the winter. If your home isn’t properly insulated, the summer heat invades your home and forces your HVAC system to compensate.
You can combat this problem by making insulation a priority. Consider having a professional in to make sure all your walls have plenty of insulation in all the right places. You could also install energy-efficient doors and windows that keep your home sealed tight. These efforts will likely pay for themselves in the form of lower utility bills down the road.
Contact The Professionals
All these tips should help you lighten the workload for your HVAC system. If your air conditioning isn’t working up to its full potential, it might need some routine maintenance. Contact Wolff's Plumbing & Heating. We can get your system back up and running in no time.