{"id":2488,"date":"2020-04-27T11:00:43","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T15:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/?p=2488"},"modified":"2021-11-22T13:53:13","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T19:53:13","slug":"are-you-using-your-cooling-system-efficiently","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/air-conditioning-service\/are-you-using-your-cooling-system-efficiently\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Using Your Cooling System Efficiently?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2489\" src=\"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Are-You-Using-Your-Cooling-System-Efficiently-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"HVAC-return-register-low-on-wall\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Are-You-Using-Your-Cooling-System-Efficiently-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Are-You-Using-Your-Cooling-System-Efficiently-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Are-You-Using-Your-Cooling-System-Efficiently.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Any air conditioning system in our area is going to get a workout during the summer. Fortunately, air conditioners are built with efficiency in mind.<\/p>\n<p>However, what if you aren\u2019t using your cooling system as efficiently as possible? There are <a href=\"\/air-conditioning\/cooling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Waterloo air conditioning services<\/a> that will help with this, like routine AC maintenance, but even with maintenance, there are a number of ways an AC system could lose efficiency and start raising your utility bills.<\/p>\n<p>Read on as we uncover some of the top tips for using your cooling system as efficiently as possible.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Raise the Thermostat by a Few Degrees<\/h2>\n<p>No, we aren\u2019t asking you to turn on the heat during hot weather! However, you might be keeping the thermostat set lower than necessary. A lower setting doesn\u2019t provide you with cooling any faster, anyway. All it does is keep your compressor running longer, which is a waste of energy.<\/p>\n<p>Many homeowners set their thermostats down around 72\u00b0F when in actuality, the majority of people are comfortable at 78\u00b0F. Even if you have it a little lower than that during the day, leaving it around 78\u00b0F when you aren\u2019t home or when you\u2019re sleeping is a great way to conserve energy and increase efficiency.<\/p>\n<h2>Clear Debris Away from Outdoor Unit<\/h2>\n<p>The outdoor condenser cabinet of your air conditioner is where your air conditioner exhausts the heat it removes from indoors. Your cooling system can\u2019t do this effectively if the area surrounding this unit is dirty, or blocked by lawn clippings, tree branches, leaves, etc.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll want to clear out this area by about a foot on all sides. If there is dirt and grime on the unit, use a low-pressure hose to wash it off. Avoid using a high-pressured hose as this may damage the coils.<\/p>\n<h2>Clear Debris Away from Indoor Vents and Registers<\/h2>\n<p>Do a walkthrough in your home to check that all your vents are fully open and that none are blocked by furniture, rugs, curtains, or anything else. Use a vacuum hose to clean off dirt and lint from the register so that the ventilation system can breathe easier.<\/p>\n<h2>Change the Air Filter<\/h2>\n<p>Many homeowners assume that the air filter within their HVAC systems is in place to protect their indoor air quality. While this air filter helps a bit with that, this is not its true purpose. The air filter is in place to protect the interior components of the system itself from dust, dirt, and other debris that could get in and negatively impact the interior components.<\/p>\n<h2>Use Your Ceiling Fans<\/h2>\n<p>The ceiling fans in your home, of course, cannot lower the temperature inside your rooms. But what they <em>can <\/em>do is help evenly distribute the air coming from your cooling system. This helps you <em>feel <\/em>cooler so that you don\u2019t have to set your air conditioner\u2019s thermostat down so low\u2014therefore increasing system efficiency.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>At Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc., your comfort is our promise! To set up an appointment, give us a call at the number above, email customerservice@daltonphc.com or <a href=\"\/about\/schedule-service#content\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">schedule an appointment online<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even with maintenance, there are a number of ways an AC system could lose efficiency and start raising your utility bills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,324],"tags":[154,138],"class_list":["post-2488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-air-conditioning-service","category-cedar-falls","tag-air-conditioning-services","tag-waterloo"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2488"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2491,"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488\/revisions\/2491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonphc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}