Every summer seems to bring massive heat waves to Pennsylvania, but this summer, not as much. Let’s not forget though: August tends to be the hottest time of year for us in Southeast PA. That being said, you’ll want to make sure your HVAC system is working smarter, not harder, to keep your house cool when things start to heat up. We’ve got 5 HVAC tips that’ll help keep your home cool and score you some summer savings.
#1 Make Sure Your Outdoor Unit Can Breathe
Summer is a time when all things come to life, but that also includes weeds and unruly vegetation. Whether you’ve got a green thumb or not, be sure to take the time to clear the area around your outdoor unit. Ideally, there should be two feet of clear space around the unit so it can pull in air efficiently.
#2 Keeping it Cool
There’s a handful of ways to go about keeping cool air in and preventing hot air from seeping into your house. Starting with the simplest, be sure to keep your drapes and blinds closed during the day. Blocking out the sun’s hot rays can work wonders to exclude hot air from your home. If you prefer natural sunlight however, consider closing your blinds on just the south- or west-facing windows, where the sun hits during its peak hours.
We also recommend sealing around windows, doors and baseboards to prevent cool air from leaking out. If you have older windows and have been noticing air leaks for quite some time, you may want to consider getting new windows, but only if necessary.
Perhaps the most important step in preventing leakage is by properly sealing around your HVAC, as well as your air duct seams and connections. You can also insulate your ducts. This more difficult task is worth it, as it makes your HVAC system more energy efficient.
#3 Find that Thermostat Sweet Spot
Find a comfortable temperature for your thermostat and set it to that. Try your best to keep it there. Setting your thermostat to a colder temperature on a hotter day doesn’t mean your home will cool down faster. In fact, it just makes your HVAC work harder, which leads to a more costly bill.
#4 Simple Ideas, Smarter Savings
There’s a few other minor things you can do to boost your summer savings while still keeping your home cool. One is to keep heat producing appliances away from your thermostat. These appliances can actually cause the thermostat to read the room’s temperature higher than it is.
You should also take advantage of your ceiling fans. Make sure they are set to rotate counter-clockwise, as to divert hot air up and leave cool air down lower to fill the room. You can also purchase electric fans to further circulate cool air.
One other simple savings tip we have for you is to dry your clothes during cooler hours, or even opt for the old fashioned way of line drying.
Photo By: Steve 9091 CC BY
#5 Keep Up With Routine Maintenance
Lastly, and most importantly, a great way to save money on keeping cool is to keep up with your HVAC maintenance—or better yet, have us do that for you. Be sure to check your HVAC filter regularly, as it gets heavy usage in the summer. In fact, we recommend you wash or replace the filter about once a month during the summer. Also, cleaning evaporator coils yearly, and straightening out any that have become bent, will also benefit your unit.
If your system is due for an HVAC tune-up, be sure to schedule that and have your HVAC running to the best of its ability.
We hope these tips come in handy for the rest of this summer and for summers to come. If you have any questions about your HVAC, give us a call toll free at 1-866-HEAT-106.