4 Tips for Cooling Your Home Efficiently in Smithfield, VA

As the weather in Smithfield, VA, heats up, the air conditioner in your home will become more important. In particular, the need to maximize its efficiency will be especially pressing. Here are four tips for cooling your house as efficiently as possible:

Change Your AC Filter Frequently

The primary responsibility of your AC system’s air filter is to remove pollutants from the air in your home. However, it can also have a significant indirect influence on how efficiently your air conditioner can keep you cool. The reason for this has to do with airflow.

The more smoothly air can move through your AC system, the easier it;ll be for it to treat that air and distribute it through your home. Conversely, any obstructions to airflow will prevent treated air from reaching your home’s interior in sufficient quantities. Restricted airflow can keep the temperature in your home from falling as much as you desire.

When your thermostat detects that the temperature in your home is too high, it’ll force your AC system to continue to work to produce more cold air. The airflow obstructions will then prevent that air from circulating throughout your home. In addition to decreasing your comfort, you’ll see your cooling bills rise.

This is why you must never allow too much debris to accumulate on your air conditioner’s filter. If you own a traditional central AC system, you must remember to replace its filter at least once every 90 days or more often if you have pets. Ductless AC systems come with reusable filters that you’ll need to clean every two to four weeks.

Improve Your Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

To further decrease the likelihood that debris-covered air filters will hinder airflow, you may want to tackle the problem of air pollution in your home more directly. A whole-home air purifier or air scrubber installed in the HVAC system will reduce the concentration of pollutants floating through the air around you. Thus, fewer contaminants will even have the opportunity to reach your AC system’s filter.

Of course, if you boost your home’s IAQ, your respiratory health will substantially improve as well. The better sleep and greater mental clarity that you’ll enjoy should only sweeten the pot further.

Schedule Regular AC Maintenance

Time and prolonged use will take their inevitable toll on your AC system, wearing down its parts and curtailing its service life. The most effective safeguard against such deterioration is to arrange annual or semi-annual rounds of maintenance on your AC system.

During tuneups, HVAC service technicians will test your system’s performance and clean out debris from hard-to-reach places. Even more importantly, they will examine every component of your system in search of hidden issues, which may include checking electrical wiring, determining whether enough refrigerant is present, and inspecting the coils and compressor. Together, these actions can maximize your AC system’s long-term cooling performance, efficiency and longevity.

Buy a Smart Thermostat

Even if your AC system is brand new and uses the latest technology, it cannot reach its potential without a good thermostat to direct its behavior. Unfortunately, analog thermostats and even some older digital ones have imprecise sensors and primitive controls, each of which may allow for a significant amount of energy to go to waste.

By contrast, the newest smart thermostats possess an impressive variety of efficiency-maximizing features. Their accurate controls and precise sensors allow them to turn on your AC system at the precise moment when you need it and turn it off exactly when you no longer do. You can also take advantage of advanced scheduling and geofencing.

Also, the fact that you can connect them to your home Wi-Fi network means that they will place a great deal of additional power at your fingertips. Smart thermostats enable you to manipulate your home’s climate when you’re not even present.

Staying cool doesn’t have to be a budget buster. Call Atlantic Shores Heating and Cooling to ask for any of our AC services today.

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