With summer in full swing in Gurnee, IL, you rely on your air conditioner to keep you comfortable. The Department of Energy states that cooling costs account for about 50% of home energy bills. Here are five tips to keep your HVAC system efficient this summer.
Clean HVAC Air Filters
Not only do dirty air filters impact indoor air quality, but they also lower the efficiency of your HVAC system. In addition, dirty air filters cause your HVAC system to use more energy to keep you comfortable and increase your system’s wear and tear.
Close the Blinds
Keeping your blinds, curtains and shades closed on the sides of the home with direct and indirect sunlight keeps your home cooler. While it is nice to let in the sun to brighten the home, it also raises the indoor temperature, causing your AC to work harder to keep you cool.
Do Heat-Producing Tasks Later
Another way to keep your home cool is to do tasks that produce heat in the early morning or evening hours. Heat-producing tasks include baking, ironing, running the dishwasher, laundry and cooking. In addition, meal prepping on your days off and reheating the food in the microwave make it easy to avoid cooking every day.
Fans Help
Ceiling fans don’t create cooler temperatures, but they do distribute the air in the room more evenly and the breeze across your skin produces a wind chill helping you feel cooler. Without fans, your HVAC system has to run longer to cool your whole home. When you use a fan, make sure you are in the room, otherwise it serves no purpose as it doesn’t actually cool the air.
Keep Your HVAC Cool
Another way to increase the efficiency of your HVAC system is to keep your air conditioning system cool. For your outdoor unit, you can block sunlight with an awning or a foldable, portable wall at least 2 feet away from your unit.
Don’t let HVAC inefficiency cause you discomfort or raise your utility bills. Contact us at Ireland Heating & Air Conditioning Co. today to learn how a programmable thermostat can also improve HVAC efficiency.
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