Change to: Bob Vila of This Old House estimates that most American homeowners will spend between $3,800 and $7,050 on a new central air conditioning system. Installing a new air conditioning system is one of the most important home improvement projects you can undertake. Selecting an experienced air conditioning installation company, like Magnolia Heating and Cooling, to ensure that the New AC System properly and that the installation is done properly.
Maximizing efficiency is essential whether you’re installing a new air conditioning system or replacing an older one. Cool your home without spending too much more on electricity while running it. Here are the seven best ways to get the most from your new central air system.
Clean Your Home- New AC System
One of the easiest ways to maximize efficiency is by keeping your home clean. Regularly vacuum out supply vents to remove any dust and pet hair. You can also reduce the amount of dust and pet hair by vacuuming carpets or sweeping floors regularly.
After you’ve cleaned the floors, use a dust rag to wipe down furniture, lampshades, and other items that gather dust, pollen, and pet hair. The less dust and particles that travel to your vent, the cleaner your vents remain.
Find Cooler Ways to Cook
If you’re running your oven for a few hours during the hottest hours of the day, you’re making your system work harder. Instead, find cooler ways to cook.
Bake meals in the early morning before the sun rises. Use the microwave later to reheat portions. Invest in an Instant Pot or slow cooker and bake in that instead. You could move the slow cooker to a garage, deck, or patio and keep the heat outside.
Rely on your grill for summer meals. Marinade your proteins and vegetables in the refrigerator all day and cook items outside. You can also use a grill for baking potatoes, and side burners are perfect for cooking pasta or whole grains for salads.
You could skip cooking on the hottest days. Boil whole chicken breasts and shred the meat when it’s cooler outside. Move it to freezer bags and store it until it’s needed. You’ll have cooked chicken ready to turn into chicken salad sandwiches.
Make the Most of Your Landscaping
Use landscaping to your advantage. Plant trees in areas of the yard where they create shade during the hottest hours of the day. Ensure the trees are far enough from the house to prevent damage to other structures and that the roots won’t impact septic tanks, water lines, and gas pipes.
If you have a patio, attach sun-blocking mesh tarps to the framework and create sunshades that keep the sun from reaching your patio doors. That keeps the sun from heating the room, making the air conditioning system work harder.
Install Honeycomb Blinds
Honeycomb blinds get their name from the patterns of each slat within the shade. The cellular construction looks like a beehive’s honeycomb and traps air, adding insulation to windows.
A honeycomb shade keeps cold drafts from getting into the room in the winter. In the summer, it keeps the sunlight from heating a room.
Use the blinds throughout the summer. As tempting as it is to open the blinds and flood your rooms with natural light, the sun will heat a room pretty quickly. Keep the blinds drawn when the sun is on that side of the house. Once it’s shifted, open those blinds and close the blinds in rooms where the sun is now positioned.
Remember a Freezing Room Isn’t Efficient
You may love being able to put on pants and a sweater on the hottest days of winter, but a low temperature makes your air conditioner work harder. Turn up the thermostat a bit and wear lighter clothing.
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting thermostats to 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer when you’re at home. When you go out, it’s recommended that you boost the thermostat by an average of eight degrees. With a smart or programmable thermostat, you can turn the temperature back down when you’re heading back home.
Maximize Insulation-New AC System
Has your home been insulated recently? It may be time to have an expert check your home for drafts and leaks. You’ll lose a lot of cool air to leaks through an attic or through exposed ducts that are not insulated.
Recaulk older windows and doors to seal drafts. Consider replacing the insulation strips around doors and windows. These improvements keep the hot air outside and the cool air in. Is it time to replace older doors and windows? It can get expensive, but the energy you save on cooling bills pays for the upgrades.
Keep It Maintained and Inspected
The best way to make sure your central air conditioning system works efficiently is by making sure you have it inspected and maintained regularly. Have a professional AC technician come out and do a complete cleaning of the ducts, change filters, and examine the system to ensure it’s running properly.
Established in 1973, All Year Cooling has over 350,000 satisfied customers & counting! Our goal is to provide the consumer with the best overall value on new air conditioner installations, maintenance, and repairs.
