Fool Me Once, Cool Me Twice
We really don’t have to remind you how hot and humid it can in the Sunshine State now, do we? …
Well no, we don’t. But we are an air conditioning company after all, so yes, we will remind you from time to time. And we’re all about saving our customers, friends and family some money and providing tips on staying comfortable and cool. But rather than write another blog post about how hot it is and how cool we are, we’ll take this opportunity instead to share some common air conditioning myths to ensure you are using “best practices” when running your air conditioner at home.
Here are some common air conditioning myths you might want to know about:
Turn it Off All Day
And you will save money. It’s easy to see how this air conditioning myth makes sense to the people who believe it. After all, if you leave your air conditioner off, it’s not running and therefore not expending any energy, right? Well, maybe. But leaving your air conditioner off all day means leaving your house humid and hot. And when you come home to a hot house, the air conditioner has to work much harder when you crank it back up to cool your place down. Which means not only can you create unwanted humidity in your home, but you’re not really saving money at all.
It’s best to leave your AC on the Auto setting and turn the thermostat up several degrees when you’re away. But don’t turn the thermostat up too high before you leave, as turning it back down too many degrees to a comfortable level when you come home will make the air conditioner work much harder and jack up your electric bill.
Leave it On All Day
And you will save money. We just established that turning your air conditioner off all day is bad, so what’s this? Well, leaving your AC on all day at the same temperature to save money is another air conditioning myth that’s no good. Listen, the programmable thermostat exists for a reason, and it’s wise to use it. Leaving your air conditioner running all day at the same temperature will cost you a lot of money on energy bills. So like we mentioned before, adjust your thermostat several degrees higher when you leave the house, but not too high.
Don’t set the thermostat too cold either, as this can cause AC components to freeze. A frozen air conditioner can cause the internal system to malfunction when dealing with too much moisture inside. Central air conditioners are designed do their job and then turn off when your home reaches the desired temperature. That Auto setting on your thermostat is there for a reason: it gives your air conditioner a much-needed break when the desired temperature is reached. Leaving your air conditioner running nonstop all day … (wait for it) … does not!
Ceiling Fans Cool Homes
So you don’t need to run the AC? No-no, not true. This is one of those air conditioning myths that makes sense on the surface. After all, fans are cooling devices. But they’re designed to cool people down, not rooms or entire homes! Which means that if you believe your ceiling fans will cool your home and keep your air conditioner from working hard, you’re wrong. Fans do help circulate air and cool your skin. But they don’t actually reduce temperatures or cool rooms, so to save money and electricity, it’s best to turn them off when you’re not present. Again, the programmable thermostat exists on your air conditioning unit for a reason, so use it and not your ceiling fans unless you’re actually present.
Bigger is Better
It makes sense, right? This is one of the most common air conditioning myths out there. The biggest air conditioning unit you can afford is the best investment because … um … it’s bigger and cools better, right? WRONG! A bigger air conditioner doesn’t mean it will cool your house better because of its size. Air conditioning units come in different sizes for different cooling needs. Aside from cooling capacity, other factors such as insulation, windows, air leakage, and roof and window characteristics must be considered. Properly-sized air conditioning units are designed to save money and energy for the size and type of home they were designed for. So an oversized unit for too small a place can cost more money by expending more energy than needed to cool that space. An air conditioning system too large for your home will cycle on and off repeatedly, which means more consumed energy and more wear and tear over time.
Close Off Vents
Unused rooms don’t need cooling. Hey, if we close the vents in unused rooms, more cool air will flow into the rooms we do use, right? … Nope. This is another one of those unfortunate air conditioning myths that many believe to be true. But your air conditioning system is designed to cool your entire house, including unused rooms. So by closing an air register vent, all you’re doing is cooling the inside of the air ducts. Modern A/C systems require a balance to keep your house cool. So closing off parts of the house may cause your system to actually work harder to compensate for the imbalance. Air conditioners don’t just cool your home, they dehumidify it. Therefore, closing off vents to any part of the house can cause humidity to build up in those uncooled spaces.
Regular AC Maintenance
Is a waste of money. Air conditioning companies and AC technicians tell you that regular AC maintenance is needed because they’re trying to upsell you more services, right? Wrong again! … Hey, we’re not going to deny that we want you to get regular maintenance from Super Heat & Air and not the other guys because we want your business. But regular maintenance is NOT a waste of time or money! The fact is that regular maintenance can keep your AC unit running smoothly and efficiently for a long, long time!
Look, you don’t need to do monthly maintenance checks. But like dental checkups, you should at least schedule maintenance appointments twice a year. Regularly scheduled maintenance also provides AC technicians the chance to catch problems that may have developed since the last checkup. Not having regular maintenance performed on your air conditioning system can mean a future call for emergency repair to Super Heat & Air! (See what we did there?)
So there you have it, a handful of air conditioning myths to help you cool your home and run your AC system more efficiently. Our AC technicians can help answer your questions about cooling efficiency. Of course, if you need 24-hour, 7-day air conditioning service or repair (one last rhyme), call Super Heat & Air! And that, friends, is NOT a myth!
