Air Conditioning Myths That are Costing You Money
Humidity in the air can make your home feel uncomfortable. When many people experience high humidity, they are often tempted to buy the largest air conditioner on the market or set the thermostat as low as possible (for instant relief) in an effort to reduce energy use and costs. However, this is actually not what you should do. Let’s take a look at some myths that homeowners tend to believe.
Lowering your AC setting to the lowest possible will make your home cool down faster. This is false. Your ac unit will run at a set pace, no matter what temperature you set the thermostat to. For more energy efficiency, you should set the setting closer to the outside temperature. So, in this case, a higher temperature means less energy usage.
Furthermore, it is not recommended to raise and lower your thermostat over a broad spectrum quickly. Keeping the temperature constant requires less effort (and money) than rapidly lowering it. Find a comfortable temperature and set your thermostat to that. This will help with energy costs and provide less wear and tear on your system.
Bigger is Better
Many people, for whatever reason, think that a bigger AC unit means better. This is not the case. You need an AC unit rated for your size home for maximum efficiency and cost. If you have a unit that is too big, it will cause the unit to malfunction and rapidly turn on and off. This, in turn, will wear out the AC unit faster. This will cause you to have more repair problems and have to do a replacement sooner than you’d like.
Turning Off Your AC Will Save You Money
While this is true if you are going to be gone for an extended amount of time, it is not true if you flex by several degrees when you are gone working. This, again, will cause the unit to work harder to get it back to the appropriate temperature. Instead of shutting it off, raise the temp just a couple of degrees while away. This will save wear and tear on your AC unit and make your home more energy efficient.
The Location of your Thermostat Has No Effect
Many people think that it doesn’t matter where their thermostat is located. However, this is a very important part of how your system reads the temperature in your home. You don’t want to place the thermostat in a sunny location where the temperature may rise due to the sun. Furthermore, you don’t want it placed where drafts could affect the temperature of that location. It is best to place it away from an outside door, for example.
Fans Make the Room Cooler
While this isn’t entirely true, it is true to a degree. Fans move air around, affecting how the air feels to us. This is called wind chill. You may have heard of it during a weather report. This makes fans helpful in saving energy. They can also be utilized to pull in the cooler air at night. But they don’t actually cool down a room, only people.
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