From Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakly: Summer Air Conditioning–How to Cool Your Home with Optimal Energy Efficiency

While modern homes are becoming more energy efficient than ever, air conditioning still remains one of the most expensive aspects of maintaining a home because of the high amount of energy it consumes. There are, however, a number of ways to optimize your home to allow your AC unit to work more efficiently, cutting down on energy costs and consumption. Here are three ways to help ensure your AC unit is working optimally and efficiently.

1. Have Your Unit Inspected, Cleaned and Serviced Every Year

Air conditioning units are generally located outdoors and a lot can happen to them over the winter. The last thing you want to have happen is to have your AC unit die right in the peak heat of the summer. Making sure that it is running optimally in the spring will ensure that it doesn’t get overloaded in the hottest temps of summer. Having your unit inspected every spring by a professional company like Lakeside Heating & A/C Inc. will help ensure your unit sails through the summer with ease.

2. Invest in a Learning or Smart Thermostat

A learning or smart thermostat will only run you a few hundred dollars or less, but it can potentially save you that much just over the course of a single summer. Turning the temperature up even a few degrees in the summer can save you significantly, but many people are loathe to turn the temperature up too high when they are away from home because of how long it takes to cool off once they arrive home. With a smart thermostat, you can turn the temperature up as much as 10 or even 20 degrees and about an hour before you arrive home, your smart thermostat will begin slowly cooling your home once again so it is nice and chilly by the time you arrive. If you need to come home early for any reason, you can turn the temp down via your smart phone so you still walk into a pleasantly cool home.

3. Keep Humidity in Check

High humidity forces air conditioning units to have to work harder to keep your home cool. In many cases, you can significantly reduce both your energy costs and how hard your AC has to work to keep your home cool by reducing the humidity in your home. Dehumidifiers require significantly less energy to operate than air conditioning units do, but they also significantly boost the efficiency of AC in areas of high humidity.

Making sure that your AC unit is working optimally and efficiently will save you money in a number of different ways. Not only will it cut down immediately on energy costs, but it will also help your unit last longer. The less often you have to replace your AC unit, the more money you save over time.