We went through a record-setting heat wave recently in the United States. Here in Atlanta, we set an all-time record of 106 F. House with properly-sized air conditioning system are sized for a temperature of 92 ° F and most likely didn't stay so cool. I'm sure several homes with air conditioning unit that appear to be significantly oversized didn't remain cool enough either.
Every summertime you can discover lots and great deals of tips on how to conserve energy and keep one's cool at house: Wear cooler clothing, use your ceiling fans, keep the sun out, go to a motion picture, get your a/c serviced, caulk your windows, and so on. I will mention a couple of common ideas in this post, however I'm also going to talk about some that you may never have actually seen in a short article like this prior to.
Before we enter the real suggestions, however, it may be helpful to keep in mind how the whole cooling thing works. Earlier this year, I heard a great expression on the radio: Your air conditioning system is the faucet; the structure envelope of your home is the cup. If you have a leaking cup, your air conditioning system has to work harder. If your Air Conditioning is already doing all it can, you may need to take an appearance at your building envelope. Also, to return to the metaphor, a leak in your water pipe may make it difficult to fill up the cup, even it's not leaking much.
Here are three questions to ask as you attempt to keep cool with an a/c unit that struggles on those really hot days:
- What can I do to decrease the quantity of heat free ac estimates toronto getting in?
- What can I do to make my air conditioning unit more efficient?
- What else can I do to keep one's cool?
Let's dive into the ideas now. I'm focusing here on existing homes. Whether it's a brand name new home you just moved into or a a century old, the home is currently there, so some style alternatives are off the table.
Tips for keeping heat out
1. Keep the sun out. Windows can be the largest factors to your heat gain. When the sun shines straight into your house, it usually brings a lot of heat, too, unless you have really great windows (with low solar heat gain coefficients). Solar screens on the outside of the window are excellent for keeping heat out. You might also consider some short-lived shading for the east- and west-facing windows on those incredibly hot days.
2. Seal the strange air leakages. The majority of the basic energy-saving suggestions informs you to caulk your windows and weatherstrip your doors. The issue with that is you're overlooking some of the much bigger leakages, like, say, crawl area vents that open into conditioned space or a hole in the kitchen area ceiling that functions as a fridge vent. Take a look around in your attic, crawl area, or basement, and you'll discover the worst wrongdoers.
3. Decrease the surface temperature levels. Some parts of your home may be hotter than others. For example, you might have a bonus space that's rarely comfy. Attic kneewalls with inefficient insulation are frequently the culprit there. Get the insulation in the cavities and put sheathing on the attic side of the kneewalls.
Tips for assisting your air conditioning system
4. Change your filter. The majority of people let them get too unclean, and this is one of the most common reasons for poor efficiency in air conditioners. A filthy filter adds resistance and decreases air circulation. Go on and examine it now. I'll wait till you return.
5. Enhance air circulation. In addition to the air filter, your AC may have other kinds of air flow problems. If the evaporator coil is unclean, inadequate air moves across it and your home doesn't cool down along with it should. If the condenser coil is unclean, it will not dump adequate heat to the exterior. If your condenser coil is crowded with plant life or other obstacles, clear it out. You can trim the bushes yourself, but you ought to probably call a pro to clean up the coils.
6. Search for disconnected ducts. If your ducts are outside of the conditioned area in your home, check to see if anything has come loose. Repairing a supply duct that's sending out all its cool air to the attic or crawl area (as shown listed below) can have an immediate effect on your convenience. This issue is more typical than you might believe.
Other ideas for keeping one's cool
7. Usage fans. OK, I know this one's not unusual, however if your a/c unit is doing all it can but your house still isn't quite cool enough on those truly hot days, moving the air over your skin might be simply what you require to stay comfy. Remember, however, that fans don't cool the air; they cool you. Switch off ones that are in empty spaces because they're using energy and including more heat to your house. Required to buy a brand-new ceiling fan? They now include energy effectiveness labels demonstrating how energy effective they are.
8. Use a window a/c. If you've done everything above and your house is still uncomfortably hot, setting up a window system AC could give you just enough extra cooling to help you make it through the heat wave. I know. I understand. They're awful and loud and might be versus the guidelines where you live. They use more power, which adds to the strain on the electricity grid, and may contribute more to worldwide warming. Still, if you've got an energy effective house with a right-sized air conditioning system, this could be the very best way to handle those heat waves when temperatures work out above what your central air conditioning conditioner was created for. It's a better solution than setting up an extra-large system so you have sufficient capability to manage the extreme heat events. A more expensive and long-term alternative to the window system would be a ductless mini-split heatpump.
9. Get a house energy evaluation. Trained house energy auditors can find the issues I listed above and more and suggest services. They likewise have devices to determine how leaking your ducts are, for instance, along with the surface area temperature levels of your floorings, walls, and ceilings.
10. Switch off your power attic ventilators. If you have power attic ventilators in the attic, have them detached so they don't run. They might well be robbing cool air from your home.
If your air conditioner repair company suggests replacing your system with a bigger one to handle heat waves, be wary. Air conditioning unit don't dehumidify well if they don't have long term times, and remember that heat waves do not last forever and we do not have bad ones every year. If your AC can't maintain when it's hotter than typical outside, use the advice above to make it through. Your house will be more comfortable and efficient for it even when the temperature levels go back to regular.