Contact Info
When it is the peak of summer in New Jersey, the most vital thing your home needs is consistent cooling. Without it, summer heat and humidity will make life uncomfortable for your loved ones. But unfortunately, many homeowners face challenges in maintaining the cooling levels they desire in their homes. This is often due to a decline in the efficiency of the air conditioning unit, which is the first sign when the climate gets brutal during the peak season. Maintenance and tune-ups are the best ways to improve your cooling unit’s efficiency so it stays stronger against the summer woes and keeps your family members fresh, relaxed, and healthy.
In this blog, we will put together 10 effective tips to improve your air conditioner’s efficiency in a New Jersey home. The tips mentioned here are specifically good for New Jersey clients and are tested and verified by Lehigh HVAC technicians on real customer projects.
This is the first thing we will start with because maintenance is what makes your system ready for reliable performance all season long. If you are still not done with your AC maintenance, schedule it at your earliest convenience. And when scheduling this service, make sure you hand over your AC to experienced and certified technicians only.
This is the most important yet often overlooked step. Sealing your rooms is essential, as it prevents an overload on your comfort appliances. If there are cracks and gaps in the walls, windows, and doors, the conditioned air finds its way to escape outside. Similarly, the warm air outside gets entry inside, increasing your indoor temperature. As a result, your AC has to work hard to bring the indoor temperature to the desired range set on the thermostat. Sealing the gaps in doors, walls, and windows keeps the conditioned air inside and increases comfort.
Sealing should not be limited to rooms only. Your HVAC ducts must be sealed properly. This is because gaps and leaks in ducts provide exit ways for cool air and entryways for warm air. Schedule a professional duct inspection service to detect such holes and get them sealed properly. It will help boost your AC’s efficiency.
Modern, smart thermostats can automatically detect your living style, temperature preferences, and air conditioning habits. These thermostats learn from your daily life activities and can automatically adjust your AC accordingly. For example, it can slightly raise your thermostat temperature by 3 to 4 degrees when you are not at home or when you are asleep at night. It can reduce the burden on your appliance and enhance its efficiency.
If you notice your AC struggles to maintain the desired temperature, use ceiling fans to compensate for cooling. Place the ceiling fan at almost 8 feet high and spin it in the counterclockwise direction. While it won’t decrease the temperature inside, it will make you feel cool, a similar effect that you experience when you travel in a taxi with open windows.
Placement of your thermostat matters a lot. If it is currently placed under direct sunlight or near a heat source, it will sense the temperature slightly higher than the actual one. As a result, it forces your AC to work harder to bring the temperature to the normal level. Placing it back in a place with an average room temperature would reduce pressure on your cooling unit.
Many times, your AC displays several warning signs such as strange noises, short cycling, or some unusual operational patterns. These signs indicate some components are not performing accurately. Keep a close eye on these signs and get the underlying cause behind them fixed immediately to prevent any significant decline in efficiency.
Many times your AC gets faults and demands part replacements during repairs. Don’t make the mistake of using average-quality components as a replacement. Low- to medium-quality components are less expensive, but they significantly reduce your system’s efficiency. Always use system-compatible, high-quality components as a replacement.
Don’t apply a set-it-and-forget-it formula to your AC unit. Keep exploring what new, innovative devices are introduced in the industry for AC units. Just like smart thermostats, there are many other components and HVAC accessories that come with innovative features. Switching to those modern, innovative accessories from your old ones can boost AC efficiency rapidly.
If your current unit has done its job and you are looking for a new one, always choose the one with high SEER2 ratings. This is because a unit with higher efficiency can better handle climate strain, temperature fluctuations, and humidity and still consume less energy. This is all you need to maintain AC efficiency at its best.
Contact Lehigh HVAC for professional HVAC services in New Jersey.
