Spring is the time of year when your area may experience warm temperatures during the day and cool weather at night. You may be wondering when exactly is the best time to turn your air conditioner on. And what’s the best way to help save money on your energy bills this spring and summer? We’ve got answers for you!
What’s the temperature outside?
The rule of thumb is to switch your thermostat from ‘HEAT’ to ‘COOL’ on the first day of the season that hits 70 degrees Fahrenheit. When you turn your cooling system on at this temperature, not only will it help to make your home’s interior a little more comfortable, but it will also help you to determine if there are potential problems with the unit that need to get taken care of before the real summer heat hits.
Many homeowners mistakenly feel that they should wait until the first really hot day of the season before letting their air conditioner cycle on. However, that late in the season is not when you want to discover problems if they exist. By starting the unit earlier, your family can likely be in your home comfortably without the unit running should there be an issue with the unit and it needs repair. And trying to find a cooling repair professional once the true late spring and early summer heat hits could mean you’re waiting longer to get the problem diagnosed and repaired.
What does this mean for energy (and money) savings?
Many homeowners may not realize that their AC accounts for nearly half of their entire home’s energy usage each month during the cooling season. That can add up to some seriously expensive energy bills. The best way to ensure that your unit is running as efficiently as possible is to make sure it’s properly maintained.
Schedule an annual maintenance appointment for your cooling system. A professional technician will clean and inspect all working components inside your unit to be sure things are working as well as possible. If there is a potential issue, it can get taken care of ahead of the peak cooling season. This helps to prevent a breakdown during the hotter days of the season, and it will also help your system to run efficiently — thus, saving you money on energy bills from month-to-month this spring and summer.
Additionally, there are some AC maintenance tasks that the average homeowner can take care of on their own. This includes the following:
Change the air filter regularly.
Change the filter on a monthly basis, more often if you have pets in your home or individuals who smoke, as these things could make the filter get dirty more quickly than usual. All air passing through your cooling system will need to pass through the filter, and if the filter is full of dirt and dust, air can’t easily pass through. In turn, this could cause your AC to work much harder than it needs to in order to push cool air throughout your home. This can lead to premature wear and tear on your system as well as higher energy bills!
Make sure the area around your condenser is clear
The condenser is the part of your air conditioning system that is outside your home. You should keep a minimum clearance of two feet around the unit to ensure that air can easily pass through to the system. This may mean that you need to trim back tree limbs or bushes in the area. You should also not use the condenser as a place to prop up your bike, rake, etc., and you also shouldn’t store anything on top of it. All these things can obstruct air flow and cause your AC to work harder than necessary to keep your home comfortable.
Need help with AC maintenance?
We’re here for you! At Oncourse Home Solutions, we provide homeowners with an affordable Cooling Maintenance Plan which entitles you to an annual tune-up appointment for one air conditioning system. To see if the plan is available in your area, visit us online and enter your ZIP code. Have questions? Give us a call at any time to speak with a knowledgeable customer service representative, or chat by clicking the Click to Chat tab on the right side of the page.