As temperatures climb this summer it’s a sure thing your energy bills will do too. Or will they?! Here at Advanced HVAC we believe that home air conditioning doesn’t have to cost the earth, so long as you take note of some of our tried and tested energy-saving tips.
Not only will you be saving money, you’ll also be doing the environment a favor by being more energy efficient.
1. Get your home air conditioning system up to scratch
First thing’s first, and that is to check that your existing home air conditioning system is working as well as it can. This means conducting some cleaning and maintenance, sealing any air leaks and bulking up on your insulation. If you’re not sure how, you can always hire a professional from Advanced HVAC for a maintenance appointment and a home energy assessment.
If you can’t remember the last time you updated your cooling unit, you might want to consider upgrading, particularly if your current unit is lacking an ENERGY STAR logo!
2. Raise your thermostat a little
Just as you should do the opposite in the winter, turning your thermostat up by a few degrees in the summer – as well as being the easiest of our top five energy-saving tips – is bound to save you stacks of cash in the long term. Even if you’d rather be perfectly chilled on hot, summer evenings, play around with the temperature until it’s set as high as it can be while still being comfortable. Setting the temperature warmer when you’re away or at work and using a programmable thermostat or a timer will also save you money.
The same applies to the thermostat on your water heater – after all, who needs scalding hot showers on a scorching day?!
3. Dust regularly
Dust will quickly build up in your home air conditioning filters, so cleaning them regularly is a good away to avoid putting a strain on your system. An easy way to do this yourself is to give your vents a vacuum every now and again, at the same time as you’d do the floors!
4. Avoid heating your home with appliances
If you still use incandescent lighting, you should know that only around 10 to 15 percent of the electricity used goes towards actually lighting the bulb – the other 85 percent is turned into heat! To avoid this energy wastage, change your light bulbs to compact fluorescent ones (CFLs) when your old ones burn out; this way you’ll be saving energy as well as stopping yourself inadvertently heating up your home and putting your HVAC system under strain!
Similarly, if you can, try and avoid using your oven and other heated appliances on hot days – a good excuse to have more outdoor BBQs instead!
5. Seal your windows
As well as ensuring you aren’t letting hot air in and cold air out through small gaps in your window frames, you should think about keeping some (or, better yet, all) of your curtains or blinds shut on sunny days. If you are going out into the sunshine, make a habit of closing the shades on any windows in direct sunlight; this will ensure your home stays as cool as it can while giving your HVAC system an easy time.
6. Don’t forget about the beauty of fans
While not quite as efficient at cooling a home than air conditioning, ceiling fans use 50 times less energy than your average AC unit, meaning we’d be idiots to leave it off of our list of energy-saving tips.
At Advanced HVAC we think a combination of the two can be the most efficient, saving both money and energy. If you put your fans on, you can afford to raise the temperature of your cooling system by approximately four degrees, without feeling any discomfort.
About Advanced HVAC
At Advanced HVAC we cater to all your heating, ventilation and air conditioning needs across the Ottawa area. Providing professional maintenance, assessment and installation of furnaces, water heaters, ventilation units, ductless air conditioning and more, we aim to take the stress out of heating and cooling your home. Whatever your needs, get in touch and request a quote from us today.
