Keeping your home comfortable
Even in Northern California, residents like their air conditioning, and like everywhere else, they also want to save money with an energy efficient HVAC system. Business owners and homeowners are always looking for ways to make their building or home more way to have efficient energy for HVAC system that will lower their bills.
When we waste energy for cooling and heating, it isn’t just a money loss, it also affects the environment. The more our air conditioning run, the more coal or fossil fuel we’re using, just adding to the already burdened global climate change.
One of the first things any homeowner will ask is, “Is it better to run AC all day?” and ” What is the most energy efficient way to run air conditioning?”. Because if you know you’re doing something wrong, you can correct it and hopefully cut that utility bill down, right? So, what is the best way to have an energy efficient HVAC system?
These questions have been around as long as having air conditioned air has been around (or after that first electric bill anyway!). The bottom line to these never ending questions is: Your air-conditioning system is going to be a more energy efficient HVAC system when it runs at full speed.
Yes, you read that right. To run your HVAC system at a lower speed, it uses more energy, and it will dehumidify your house better too. So, set your thermostat a degree or two higher and let it run all day. You’ll actually save as much as 5% for every degree you bump up the thermostat, the recommended setting is 78 degrees.
During the summer when the temps are raising, try these things for a month or two and see if it makes any difference on your energy bill. If not, you may need to get quotes on a new energy efficient HVAC system:
- Programmable Thermostat – Yes, you’ve probably had everyone and their neighbor telling you to install a programmable thermostat, and guess what? They’re right, installing one of these, whether you have a older HVAC system or a new energy efficient HVAC, a programmable thermostat will do wonders for your electric bill. Set the time when you want the thermostat cooling, and it will do it automatically.
- Ceiling Fans – We know, this sounds like your parents from the 1970s, but you’d be surprised at how much air will move around with a ceiling fan in place. While the programmable thermostat is set higher, the ceiling fan keeps the air moving around so it doesn’t get muggy and stale feeling, and your home will still feel cooler.
- Plant Bushes – The south side and west side is where the heat hits the hardest. Planting bushes on both sides will minimize the heat getting to your home when the sun is blaring on those sides.
- Crosswinds – There is nothing better on a warm spring day or cooler summer days than windows open throughout the house. You shouldn’t open them all the way, you don’t even to open every window. Just a few so that you get a crosswind coming through the house. Experiment try different windows and see which give you the most crosswind benefit.
How can I lower my AC bill?
It can get to the point of outrageous when it comes to the electric bill in the summer. You want to be comfortable but at the sacrifice of the family budget. Luckily, with these tips, you can save a few dollars on the electric bill and help get more energy efficient HVAC system while extending its lifespan too:
Seal the Doors and Windows
You could be losing a lot of that cherished cool air conditioned right through the doors and windows, even if they are closed. If you can feel any draft on the outside around the edges of the doors and windows, that is where your expensive cooled air is going. Make sure they are all closed and caulk any leaking areas. Installing mesh window screens, solar screens, and window film can knock out as much as 70% of the UV rays, keeping them out of you house. Even with the best energy efficient HVAC system, the cooled air will escape.
Thermostat Placement
Programmable or old school, a thermostat installed on an exterior wall or by a window will never have an accurate reading. That inaccurate reading will make your energy efficient HVAC system turn on prematurely and run more. Schedule an HVAC contractor to come move your thermostat, which may cost a few dollars, but you’ll have that money back with a lower electric bill.
Temperature Setting
Moving the thermostat setting up 2 to 3 degrees before you leave for a trip and you’ll save between 3% and 5% on your electric bill for every degree you move it up. Of course the programmable thermostat is the better way to do this, you simply program the days and hours you’re not home and it will automatically raise the thermostat for you. A money saver even with an energy efficient HVAC system.
Avoid Heat
Summertime is vacation travel time and when you’re at home, it is cooking outside time! Use your grill as much as possible for cooking meals and you won’t heat the house up. Try hanging clothes and sheets to hang or do your laundry early in the morning before it heats up outside. Turn the dishwasher dry option off and dry the dishes by hand instead.
Utilize What You Have
Keep the blinds and curtain closed on the sunny side of the house, use fans, especially ceiling fans, to stir the air up around your house. Get your basement finished out and spend the hottest part of the day down there.
Plant Trees
This won’t help your monthly electric bills this summer, but as those trees get bigger, they will eventually by reducing the sunlight that comes through the window. That will lessen the amount you need the air conditioning on and until your trees mature, use blackout curtains.
Maintenance and Repairs
Even with the most advanced energy efficient HVAC system, if you don’t take care of it, it won’t be the money save you need. Changing or cleaning the air filter every 30 day is a must to keep it running efficiently and properly, and it is a money saver too! If your HVAC contractor recommends repairs, follow their advice. When something isn’t running right, it isn’t saving money.
How many hours should AC run per day?
An energy efficient HVAC system is designed to operate at maximum capacity when the temps are the hottest outside, like 100 degrees. At that hot, the air conditioning should be running basically, continuously to keep the indoor temperature at a comfortable setting.
What about an air conditioner that isn’t keeping the right temperature? Or it is running non-stop? Your HVAC system may need to be checked out by a professional contractor or it could be too small for the size you’re cooling. In general, an energy efficient HVAC air conditioner should run approximately 15 minutes on a mild day and almost non-stop on a hot day.
What is a good temperature for AC at night?
Well, you don’t want to be too cold, and body temperatures are different for everyone. The general consensus is between 60 degree and 67 degrees. It is recommended when the nights are cool, sleep with a window open and then close it when you wake up. That will trap the natural cool air and help the air conditioner work less. One of the best energy efficient HVAC system is the outdoors.
Is energy efficient hvac tax deductible?
No, energy efficient HVAC is not tax “deductible” but there are tax “credits” available in some situation. You can vis the IRS website or talk with a tax professional about what is available for you in the way of tax credits for energy efficient heating and cooling for homes, because not all energy efficient HVAC system qualify.
Which air conditioning Is best, energy efficiency of central air vs. window unit? If the time has come to replace your current HVAC system and you’re considering going with the room window unit instead of an energy efficient HVAC system, the first consideration is cost. Yes, an HVAC system is going to cost more upon installation than window units. A window unit air conditioners can cool down a room, maybe two or three is the right positioning. A central energy efficient HVAC system will cool the entire house.
HVAC units tend to be quieter than air condition window units, and if you’re planning on cooling the entire house at one time, the more energy-efficient HVAC is the better choice. If you have rooms that won’t need cooling every day or even all day, then a window air conditioning unit would be a good choice. Need energy efficient HVAC installation in your home in Vacaville, CA? Call 707-689-5128 today.
