It's no sweat: Raise your AC while lowering your Carbon Footprint

There are times throughout the summer in particular when the air conditioning unit in your home is not just welcome in helping to keep the perfect temperature, but sometimes it is absolutely critical especially if there are young children or elderly and sick people in the property.

Switching off the AC is not an option during the summer months and with this in mind you need to make sure that your unit is running as efficiently as possible, not just for cost and reliability reasons but also because an air conditioning unit that is in top working order and properly maintained can keep your carbon footprint as low as possible.

Low energy consumption

There are a number of initiatives and actions that you can follow to keep you cool without overworking your air conditioning unit, which will keep your energy consumption as low as it is feasible to do so.

Warmer nights during the summer are sometimes difficult to contend with but you should try turning your AC down during sleep hours so it is running less during the night. Check the ducts in your property and pay attention to any areas in your home where the ducts run through without air conditioning, ensuring that they are properly insulated so that the air coming in is as cool as possible.

Another good way of controlling your energy consumption is to ensure that your unit is running at its optimum performance level. The point that is often considered as close to the optimum performance level for an air conditioning unit as possible is 78 degrees, so try to keep the unit running at close to this level.

If you took the temperature setting down just 5 degrees lower than this you could end up expending almost 40% more energy so you can soon see how important it is to try and achieve the optimum performance level for your AC unit.

Another initiative worth considering is to keep as many lights as you can turned off in the property and use your curtain and the natural sunlight to find a balance that gives you the level of comfort and light you want without expending too much extra energy by making the air conditioning work harder than it needs to.

Maintenance

The first thing to say when it comes to maintenance is that you should always use the services of a reputable heating and cooling contractor as they will be worth the outlay by helping you to keep your AC unit performing and running as efficiently as it is capable of doing.

There are estimated savings of anything up to 30% when you compare the running costs of a well-maintained and efficient AC unit against a poorly maintained and inefficient one, so maintenance is essential for both your health and your wealth.

Filter

The filter plays an important role in the performance of your air conditioning unit and a dirty filter restricts airflow, which is not only detrimental to the equipment itself but it is also a health risk as well.

The frequency of filter changes is variable according to the type of filter that you have installed and how often the unit is running. The lifespan of the filter is also affected by the cleanliness of the air that is inside your home but for general guidance, it is normally advisable to change or clean your filter at least once a month or have it checked regularly as part of a maintenance contract.

Temperature check

A good indication of whether you have a problem with your air conditioning unit is to check the difference in the temperature drop between the supply air and the return air.

The best way of checking to see what the difference is would be to set the thermostat low enough so that the unit runs constantly for at least 15 minutes while the outside temperature is in the region of 80 degrees. Whilst it is running you should then take an accurate thermometer measurement of the air at the return and supply register and then compare these results to the temperature of the inside unit, working on the basis that the acceptable drop from return air to supply air should be somewhere between 14-20 degrees. If the drop is shown to be less than 14 degrees, this is a good indication that your unit requires attention and servicing to get it working more efficiently.

With proper maintenance and by doing what you can to reduce the workload of your air conditioning unit, you should hopefully be able to reduce your carbon footprint but still enjoy plenty of cooling air.