Good climate control is important not just for comfort, but in some cases for good work and reliable profit. People rely on more on computers and online connections today to get their work done, but these electronics are delicate, and the blistering heat of summer, combined with humidity, can damage this type of hardware.
Air conditioning can take care of this, but are you paying more than you actually need to on your bills? If you are, try saving more money in the New Year with our energy-saving tips.
Get Rid Of Your Old Thermostat
On the surface, if your thermostat is still working, there may be no reason to replace it. In reality, old thermostats, just like old HVAC systems, can still work but are inefficient compared to modern products.
If your thermostat still has old, analog controls, this is definitely the case. Modern thermostats, measure temperature more precisely, are programmable, and let you choose temperatures at different times of the day.
So when people are out of the office for the night, you don’t have to switch the HVAC off, it can automatically go into a lower temperature, so you don’t waste money either leaving your HVAC on all night at full power, or waste money turning it on and having to reheat the building by several degrees. New “smart” thermostats can analyze interior activity, and automatically adjust temperatures based on these needs. They can even operate by phone if you want total control at any time.
Maintain Air Duct Integrity
Your air ducts do the work for two different systems; your furnace and your air conditioner. Regardless of whether air is heated up or cooled down, both types of processed air travel throughout your structure via air duct, and come out through vents into the individual rooms.
Your air ducts are just much larger pipes, operating on the same principles are the water pipes for your plumbing. This means that leaks can also happen here, though the final effects are slower to both detect and take effect.
Unlike a leaky water pipe which can cause water damage to the area it’s in, a leaky duct will simply get more and more inefficient, costing you more money until it finally fails. Have an HVAC professional inspect your ducts and, if leaks are found, seal them now while they are smaller, cheaper problems than a larger, catastrophic failure.
Use Your Window Dressing
Most people think of curtains, drapes or blinds as window accessories to either beautify a room, or add some privacy when you don’t want people to be able to see into your home. However, an additional feature of such window dressing is helping to keep your AC bills down.
Windows admit heat as well as light, so the hot air of summer in your home is magnified even more by the presence of sunlight from windows. This causes your AC to work even more, but the strategic use of curtains, drapes or blinds at during the hottest, brightest part of the day to prevent direct sunlight can help with the efficiency of your AC.
You can’t avoid using your AC in Lees Summit, MO when things get really hot. But by being smart about the ways that AC is used in your home, you can make its operation more efficient and keep your bills down.
