The day I wrote this, the temperature outside here in Maryville was 79°F. Pleasant by almost anyone’s standards. Okay, it feels much hotter to me, but keep in mind that I’m a dog wearing a permanent fur coat. A black permanent fur coat. But for the rest of you, it might be necessary to run your air conditioner a bit, but you shouldn’t need it too much.
But … those blistering hot summer days are coming up, and when they set in, your air conditioner is going to work at its hardest, no matter how wise you are with your thermostat. You can expect higher utility bills to come along with those scorching days. Below I’ve listed four steps for homeowners to take to stay chill this summer, while also helping with energy costs.
ONE: Start from the outside in
Go to the outside unit of your air conditioner. Check around it. High grass, leaves, overgrown plants, fallen tree branches, and other debris near your unit will cause the AC’s performance to suffer. That means lower comfort and higher bills—the worst of both worlds! Our staff recommends checking that your unit is clear at least every other time you mow the lawn.
TWO: Inspect. Is the concrete slab level?
The outdoor unit sits on a concrete slab. If this slab isn’t level because it has started to sink on one side into the ground, it will make your AC work extra hard to keep up. No precision piece of equipment works at its best when it’s tilted over!
THREE: Change the air filter
Now we’re moving indoors. The air filter on the HVAC cabinet (sometimes you’ll find it behind a return air vent grill) protects the AC from dust and debris. But it needs to be changed as often as once a month. The frequency it needs to be changed depends on the filter type and the number of people and pets in your home. I recommend you check on it every 4 weeks to see if it’s clogged up. Soon you’ll learn the best schedule for changing the filter. The quality of the air filter matters, too. In this instance, you do get what you pay for. (Do you have substandard “rock catcher” filters in your home? Click here to watch a short video about recommended filter types.)
FOUR: Call the professionals
Your system will perform at optimal levels when it has a good pre-summer cleaning which includes the condensate line responsible for carrying moisture away from the AC, the coils that hold the vital coolant, and much more. Our maintenance program is the easiest way to setup your HVAC system for regular inspections and tune-ups that will give the AC (and heater) a long and energy-saving service life.
We’re here to provide you with the finest air conditioning service in Louisville, TN and Maryville. Visit RussellAndAbbott.com and read our customer reviews. Your friends and neighbors give us 4.6 stars!