Top Tips for Your Heating and Air Conditioning System
The summer months can be extremely hot in North Texas, and although most of us have working air conditioning units, the feeling of opening your electricity bill can be just as bad. Although in most parts of the world winter is the more expensive season, Texas is often an exception. We have put together some tips on what you can do to decrease your electricity bills this summer, without lowering your quality of life. We have also included some simple steps for troubleshooting your heater if it won’t start up in the winter. Let’s start with 10 ways we can keep your cooling costs down this summer:
1. Keep Your Air Conditioning Turned On
Although this might seem counter-intuitive, it can actually save you money, with one caveat: Keep your system in “Energy Save” mode turned on. This will keep your house cool during the hot summer day, while consuming much less electricity than those that are continuously switching on and off during the day.
2. Keep Your Windows Closed During The Day, and Open During The Evening and Night
As long as it gets cool in the evening, open your windows so that your house can cool down without the need for air conditioning. Make it a habit of closing your windows in the morning, otherwise you could be letting out the cool air during the day!
3. Upgrade to VRV / VRF Air Conditioning Units
We have seen some major advancement in the technology used in air conditioners in the recent years, and some that consume less than 50% of the old units. VRF stands for “Variable Refrigerant Flow”, which means increased efficiency of your air conditioning unit, and lower energy costs!
4. Automate Your Air Conditioning System
Along with VRF, the other technology that has come on the scene is the ability to control your AC system through internet enabled thermostats. This will allow you to change the temperature, switch the unit on or off, and other helpful tasks, without the need to actually be in your home. A big benefit is being able to turn on the air conditioning while you are out of the house, so that it can cool slowly(energy efficiently), and it will be cool when you get home.
5. Switch to LED Lighting
Yet another technological advance that we have seen in recent years, LED lighting. LED lights not only use less electricity to produce the same amount of light, they also produce less heat doing it! If you have ever felt a regular light bulb after it has been turned on for an hour, you know the amount of heat generated is significant. Switching to LED light lighting acts as a double savings.
6. Close off the Unused Areas of your Home
Shut the vents and the doors leading to any unused areas of your home. If your house has two floors, and you only ever use the bottom floor, shut off the top floor’s vents and doors to keep all the air conditioned air down stairs.
7. Hot Air Rises
If you do happen to live in a 2 story house, and you use both of the floors, use the air conditioners for the higher areas, and let the cool air travel to the lower floor.
8. Utilize any Available Fans
Fans use much less electricity than air conditioners, and can usually cool you enough during the night. Fans can also be used to ventilate areas such as attics, which can remove the hot air that rises to the top of your home.
9. Add insulation foam between your walls
Insulation can often be sprayed into your walls through a drilled hole. A professional contractor can help you accomplish this task to make sure it is done right.
10. Add insulation to your windows
Using heavy curtains and drapes can create a layer of insulation for your windows to keep cool air in and hot air out.
A house that is well insulated will maintain the temperature difference between the air inside the home and the air outside of the home.
If your air conditioner just is not working right, and you need an air conditioning repair, call a professional HVAC company like Air Repair Pros. Most of these tips can also be applied to heating your home in the winter, to help save money on heating costs.
Most issues with your heater will most likely require help from a HVAC technician, however, we have put together some basic troubleshooting tips you can try before calling a heater repair company. Issues with your heating system can be potentially dangerous, as you may be dealing with explosive substances, or high voltage electricity. Always be sure to examine and asses problems carefully, and don’t hesitate to call in a professional. Here are some helpful troubleshooting tips if your home’s heating system fails to start this winter:
1. No heat at all
If you are not getting any hot air, the first step is to make sure your thermostat is set to “heat”. What often happens is that people forget to change their thermostat from “cool” to “heat” when the seasons change. Also be sure to check your fuse box for any blown fuses or tripped circuits. If a circuit has been tripped, you can easily flip it back to reset it, however a blown fuse will require replacement. Also look for a reset button on your furnace to restart it. At this point, turn off the power to the furnace and look for a blown fuse in the power switch, and replace it if it has blown. If you have a gas operated furnace, make sure the pilot light is still lit. If it is not, please consult the units owner’s manual for instruction to relight the pilot. If the pilot continues to go out, you may have a faulty thermocouple, or the pilot light may be clogged up with soot or dust, or it may be that the setting for the pilot light is just too low and needs to be adjusted. Also be sure to check and make sure that the valve on the supply line for the gas is turned on.
2. You are not getting the required amount of heat
Sometimes you will notice that even though your system is operating, the amount of hot air that you are receiving is greatly reduced. Your first step is to ensure that there are no obstructions preventing the heated air that is coming from your heater. The next step is to turn up the thermostat 5 degrees and observe what happens. If your system still does not produce the required amount of heat, call an HVAC professional. Check all of the vents to verify that they are open and allowing the hot air to travel into the rooms. Check the intake air vent filter and replace it if it is dirty. Check the belt on the furnace’s blower and make sure that it is not broken.
3. Your Unit makes an excessive amount of noise
Often times, a heater repair from a professional can reduce the amount of white noise in your house. Try to figure out where the noise is coming from and when the unit is operating, why the noises are happening. A loose housing or a worn out belt can cause squeaking or squealing sounds from the unit.
4. The Unit turns on and off excessively
If your unit cycles frequently, your thermostat may be faulty. Most thermostats have settings to provide long intervals between heat cycles. This may be the cause of frequent cycling. Check the setting on the thermostat and change it to a longer run period. After doing this, wait several hours to allow the heating system to recalibrate to this setting and then you can determine if any changes are needed. If this does not solve the problem, your thermostat may need to be replaced.
Heating and air conditioning repair professionals like Air Repair Pros can quickly and easily diagnose any problems that you may be having with your HVAC system. Be sure to check if they have any specials for the season, and remember, if you feel uncomfortable performing any of these steps, please call a professional. HVAC systems are complex, and can be dangerous to work with, so don’t risk your health or safety by trying to save some money.
