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Improve Your Air Conditioner's Summertime Performance With These 5 Steps

The summer heat can bring with it a variety of challenges, including the challenge of keeping your air conditioner operating at peak condition. Fortunately, there's plenty that can be done to ensure your air conditioner's stellar performance under harsh summertime conditions.

Always Change Your Air Filter When Needed

A dirty air filter can prevent your air conditioner from getting the airflow it needs to cool effectively and stay energy-efficient. It's important to change your air filter at the intervals specified by your A/C manufacturer. Otherwise, it's a good idea to change filters on a monthly basis. Doing so can help improve your air conditioner's performance while improving your home's indoor air quality.

Keep Your Attic Well-Ventilated

Heat that rises to the very top of your home's structure can be trapped due to poor attic ventilation, making your home as much as 10 degrees hotter than normal in some cases. Use attic vents to draw in cooler air from outdoors and ridge vents to channel hot air away from the roof. You can use electric or solar-powered fans to push hot air out of the attic, but this can also draw cool air upwards towards the ceiling as an unwanted side effect.

Use Shade to Your Advantage

Allowing your air conditioner's outdoor unit to operate in direct sunlight can significantly reduce its overall performance. Use the natural shade from nearby trees and shrubbery to keep your unit out of direct sunlight. Doing so can improve your air conditioner's overall efficiency by 10 percent.

If you don't have any trees or other nearby natural cover, you can make your own shade by putting up a wall or creating a well-ventilated enclosure. Just make sure to keep enough clearance between the new structure and the A/C unit so that it doesn't interfere with the unit's air flow.

Hunt Down and Seal Up Those Air Leaks

A drafty home that's hard to heat during the winter can be just as hard to cool throughout the summer. Allowing conditioned air to escape your home can significantly increase your cooling costs. Check your windows and exterior walls for air leaks and seal these problem areas with caulk or additional insulation to combat these losses.

Consider Insulating Your Ductwork

Uninsulated ductwork can also be a problem area in terms of significant energy losses. In addition to placing your ductwork within conditioned and insulated spaces, you can also insulate the ductwork itself. Wrapping your ductwork in foil-faced fiberglass insulation can significantly reduce energy losses.

For more tips on keeping your AC efficient, talk to HVAC companies like Arnold Service Co.


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