Cooling your home this summer

On this first summer heat wave I spent the afternoon getting my air conditioner in my home ready for the upcoming season. I thought I’d take a minute to show you my annual check list when the warm weather is upon us.

Over the winter months it is important to always cover your outdoor condensers so snow and debris doesn’t end up damaging the coils. First step in preparations would be remove the wrap from over the condensers and check the coil for damage or debris. After you finish I always change the filters on the indoor HVAC unit. Changing the filters doesn’t only improve air quality but keeps the efficiency level up on the AC unit. Dirt in the filters makes the system work harder to circulate air causing your efficiency of the unit to drop.

If your unit is in the attic or basement. I would check all of your duct work connections to make sure you don’t have any leaks where air could be escaping. Wasting your heating or cooling in areas it may not be needed will only make your cooling units work longer to hit its target temperature. Taking small steps to ensure the unit is working properly will only help reduce your month to month costs on utilities.

Programmable thermostats, caulking leaky windows, adequate insulation in the walls and attic are all other important parts to properly cooling the home. It isn’t anything that needs to be addressed each year but should be addressed whenever you buy a new home. Now that you have finished all your prep work it is ready to turn the AC on. Run the AC for a few hours and check the indoor unit for water not draining properly from the unit. If this is in the attic you could imagine the disaster of a water back up in the unit over your nice sheet rocked ceilings.

A few small steps each year can make a huge difference to your cooling bills and help you stay comfortable all season.