Is Your Air-Conditioning Efficient?

Summer time is upon us. As the long summer days heat up, we will soon be turning on Utah air conditioning units. If we want to keep our energy costs down, here are some things that will help.

Most of us know we should change the air filters regularly. Keeping the condenser coils clean is also an important part of maintenance. This task is relatively easy to do.

To clean the coils, just spray them off with your garden hose. First remove any leaves, spiderwebs or other debris that has collected on them, and then spray off all the dust. This helps the coils work more efficiently.

Other maintenance items such as checking the refrigerant level and adjusting the blower components would be better left to Utah air conditioning experts. They will also check all the controls for the different cycles of your system to make sure all is in top working order. Keeping your unit running efficiently will save energy costs and help your unit last longer.

Another thing that will help reduce energy costs in both summer and winter is to make sure the ducts are properly sealed and insulated. If your ducts aren’t sealed, you should wrap each joint with duct sealant or metal backed tape. Although you would think you should use duct tape, it isn’t long lasting enough, so shouldn’t be used.

Check to make sure the ducts are well connected to the boot, and that the connections around the vents and registers are well sealed where they meet any walls, floors or ceilings. This is a common area to find leaks. Once they are all sealed, they should also be insulated.

If your air conditioning unit is over ten years old, and not working well, it may be time for a replacement. Have your equipment checked out by Utah air conditioning experts to see if a tune up will help, or if it’s time for a new one. When you decide to get a new unit, replace it with an Energy Star qualified unit for the best energy savings.

When selecting a new unit, bigger is not always better. If the unit is too large, frequent on/off cycling will reduce your comfort level and increase stress on the machinery. Your Utah air conditioning contractor can help you select the right size based on your home’s heat gain/loss and provide you with a copy for your records.