We went through a record-setting heat wave just recently in the United States. Here in Atlanta, we set an all-time record of 106 F. House with properly-sized a/c are sized for a temperature level of 92 ° F and probably didn't stay so cool. I make sure many homes with a/c that seem significantly extra-large didn't remain cool enough either.
Every summer season you can discover lots and lots of suggestions on how to conserve energy and keep one's cool in your home: Use cooler clothes, use your ceiling fans, keep the sun out, go to a motion picture, get your a/c unit serviced, caulk your windows, and so on. I will discuss a few typical suggestions in this short article, however I'm also going to talk about some that you may never have actually seen in an article like this before.
Prior to we enter into the actual suggestions, though, it may be practical to bear in mind how the whole cooling thing works. Previously this year, I heard a great expression on the radio: Your air conditioning system is the faucet; the building envelope of your home is the cup. If you have a leaky cup, your air conditioning system needs to work more difficult. If your A/C is already doing all it can, you might require to have a look at your building envelope. Also, to return to the metaphor, a leak in your pipes might make it difficult to fill the cup, even it's not dripping much.
Here are three concerns to ask as you try to keep cool with an air conditioning system that has a hard time on those actually hot days:
- What can I do to reduce the amount of heat getting in?
- What can I do to make my a/c unit more efficient?
- What else can I do to keep one's cool?
Let's dive into the tips now. I'm focusing here on existing homes. Whether it's a brand new house you just moved into or a hundred years old, the house is currently there, so some design options are off the table.
Tips for keeping heat out
1. Keep the sun out. Windows can be the largest contributors to your heat gain. When the sun shines directly into your home, it usually brings a great deal of heat, too, unless you have really good windows (with low solar heat gain coefficients). Solar screens on the outside of the window are fantastic for keeping heat out. You may also think about some momentary shading for the east- and west-facing windows on those extremely hot days.
2. Seal the weird air leaks. The majority of the standard energy-saving guidance informs you to caulk your windows and weatherstrip your doors. The problem with that is you're ignoring some of the much larger leakages, like, say, crawl space vents that open into conditioned space or a hole in the kitchen ceiling that acts as a refrigerator vent. Browse in your attic, crawl space, or basement, and you'll discover the worst culprits.
3. Decrease the surface temperature levels. Some parts of your house may be hotter than others. For instance, you might have a bonus space that's seldom comfortable. Attic kneewalls with inefficient insulation are typically the offender there. Get the insulation in the cavities and put sheathing on the attic side of the kneewalls.
Tips for helping your a/c
4. Modification your filter. The majority of people let them get too dirty, and this is one of the most common factors for bad efficiency in air conditioning system. A filthy filter includes resistance and reduces air flow. Go ahead and check it now. I'll wait till you get back.
5. Enhance air flow. In addition to the air filter, your Air Conditioner might have other types of air flow issues. If the evaporator coil is dirty, insufficient air relocations throughout it and your house does not cool down as well as it should. If the condenser air conditioner service toronto coil is unclean, it will not dump adequate heat to the outside. If your condenser coil is crowded with vegetation or other obstacles, clear it out. You can cut the bushes yourself, however you must most likely call a pro to clean the coils.
6. Search for disconnected ducts. If your ducts are beyond the conditioned space in your house, check to see if anything has come loose. Repairing a supply duct that's sending out all its cool air to the attic or crawl area (as shown listed below) can have an immediate effect on your convenience. This issue is more typical than you may believe.
Other ideas for keeping cool
7. Use fans. OK, I know this one's not uncommon, but if your a/c unit is doing all it can but your home still isn't quite cool enough on those truly hot days, moving the air over your skin might be simply what you require to stay comfortable. Keep in mind, though, that fans do not cool the air; they cool you. Turn off ones that remain in empty rooms due to the fact that they're utilizing energy and adding more heat to your house. Required to purchase a brand-new ceiling fan? They now feature energy efficiency labels revealing how energy effective they are.
8. Use a window air conditioning unit. If you've done whatever above and your home is still annoyingly hot, installing a window system Air Conditioner might provide you just enough extra cooling to help you make it through the heat wave. I know. I know. They're ugly and noisy and may protest the rules where you live. They utilize more power, which adds to the strain on the electrical power grid, and might contribute more to worldwide warming. Still, if you've got an energy effective house with a right-sized air conditioner, this could be the best way to handle those heat waves when temperatures work out above what your central air conditioning conditioner was developed for. It's a better service than setting up a large system so you have enough capability to manage the extreme heat occasions. A more pricey and permanent option to the window system would be a ductless mini-split heat pump.
9. Get a home energy assessment. Trained home energy auditors can find the issues I noted above and more and suggest solutions. They also have devices to measure how leaky your ducts are, for instance, as well as the surface area temperature levels of your floorings, walls, and ceilings.
10. Switch off your power attic ventilators. If you have power attic ventilators in the attic, have them detached so they do not run. They might well be robbing cool air from your house.
If your air conditioning unit repair business suggests replacing your system with a bigger one to deal with heat waves, be wary. Ac system do not dehumidify well if they don't have long term times, and bear in mind that heat waves do not last forever and we don't have bad ones every year. If your Air Conditioning can't keep up when it's hotter than typical outdoors, utilize the suggestions above to make it through. Your house will be more comfortable and effective for it even when the temperature levels return to normal.