Stop Overloading Your AC: How to Keep Your Home Cool This Summer

When temperatures soar in Fox Valley, WI, the first thing you likely do is turn up the thermostat to feel more comfortable in your house. Air conditioners keep homes cool, but when they’re constantly pushed to their limits, energy bills can soar and the unit endures unnecessary wear and tear, which can lead to premature breakdowns and expensive repairs. At Black-Haak, we understand how much a cool and comfortable home matters to you. That’s why we’ve put together some smart air conditioning tips and strategies to keep your living space cool without overworking air conditioning strategies.

Make Use of Natural Cooling and Ventilation

Your home has natural cooling abilities that can reduce your reliance on your AC system. First let’s start with strategic window use. We recommend opening you windows during the cooler parts of the day, such as the mornings and evenings. This small action allows cool air to circulate through the house and can even create a cross-breeze when cool air gets drawn in and hot air pushed out.

Blind and curtain usage is another way to make use of your home’s natural cooling ability. During the hottest part of the day, close your windows and blinds. If your home has windows facing south or west, this simple act creates a barrier and prevents sunlight and heat from making your home hotter and forcing the AC to run harder.

Use your ceiling fans. While fans don’t actually cool the air, they do create a wind-chill effect. To get the most out of your ceiling fans during the summer, make sure the blades spin in a counter-clockwise direction. This pushes cool air down to the surface.

If you don’t have ceiling fans, you can try the box-fan method. Place box fans in windows facing outward. By placing fans in the outward-facing direction, you exhaust hot air from your home. This method works best during cooler periods like overnight.

Limit Internal Heat Sources

You can generate a surprising amount of heat in your home from daily activities like cooking and even using your home’s lighting. It doesn’t take much heat to make your AC work harder. Try minimizing how much you use the following household heat sources:

• Appliances: Ovens, stoves, and clothes dryers produce quite a bit of heat. Your dishwasher does as well. When temperatures climb, consider using those household appliances during the cooler parts of the day.
• Electronics: Residual heat generates warmer indoor air, too. Even if you have computers and televisions turned off, they still generate heat. Consider unplugging computers, televisions, chargers, and other devices when you’re not using them.
• LED lighting: Are you still using incandescent light bulbs? Those lighting sources generate a lot of heat. By switching to LED bulbs, you diminish your heat output while lowering energy consumption.

AC Maintenance Optimizes Performance

Employing natural cooling strategies and limiting internal heat sources go a long way toward keeping your home cooler and preventing your AC from overworking itself. Still, one of the best ways to ensure optimal performance from your air conditioning unit is maintenance.

Change the Filter

Dirty air filters restrict airflow. Any time airflow gets restricted, your AC is forced to work harder to push air through the ductwork and into your home. We recommend checking your air filter once a month to see if it’s dirty. Most households can get away with replacing the filter every 60 to 90 days. However, during peak cooling season, you might need to change the filter every 30 days. A clean filter helps your system work more efficiently and it improves indoor air quality so you can breathe easier at home.

Clear Obstructions

Any thing that obstructs airflow makes your AC work harder. Start by making sure furniture and curtains don’t block air vents and registers. Also, consider having your ductwork cleaned before the cooling season begins. Ducts collect dirt and dust, which can impede airflow. We recommend having your ducts cleaned every 3 to 5 years, but if you recently bought a house or don’t remember the last time you had your ducts cleaned, there’s no better time than now to schedule a cleaning.

Schedule a Professional Tune-Up

AC systems benefit from regular tune-ups. Our team at Black-Haak provides comprehensive AC tune-up services in the Fox Valley area. Our multi-point inspection includes things like:

• Cleaning components
• Checking refrigerant levels
• Inspecting electrical connections, and more!

Identifying potential issues before they become major problems helps your system run at peak efficiency and prevents unnecessary strain.

Improve Your Home’s Thermal Envelope

Preventing heat from entering and cool air from escaping is essential to reducing your AC’s workload. Your home’s thermal envelope acts as a barrier to the outdoor air and prevents interior heated or cooled air leakage. Some things you can do to improve your thermal envelope include:

• Sealing air leaks: Check for drafts around windows, doors, and other openings. Use caulk or weatherstripping to seal any leaks and significantly reduce heat gain and cool air loss.
• Improving insulation: When your attic is properly insulated, you have a barrier against heat transfer from the outside in and vice versa. A poorly insulated attic makes it easier for cool air to escape and hot air to seep in, making your air conditioning system struggle to keep your home cool.
• Installing energy-efficient windows and doors: If it’s time to replace your windows and doors, opting for energy-efficient products is a smart move. Many older homes have outdated windows and doors that simply aren’t effective at insulating, allowing conditioned air to escape and outside temperatures to seep in.
• Improving ventilation: Air that circulates easily makes your AC’s job easier. Ways to improve ventilation include installing mechanical ventilation systems that exchange indoor and outdoor air and prevent moisture buildup.
• Managing humidity: The more moisture you have in your home during the warmer months, the warmer your home feels and the more likely it is you’ll run the AC more. Managing your home’s humidity levels and keeping it between 30% and 50% relative humidity (RH) goes a long way toward reducing strain on the AC system.

By implementing these cooling strategies, you can significantly reduce the strain on your AC unit. Not only will your AC last longer, but you’ll lower your energy bills, and maintain a comfortable indoor environment throughout the warm months also.

If you have questions about optimizing your cooling system, need a professional AC tune-up, or are considering an upgrade to a more energy-efficient model, the AC service team at Black-Haak is here to help. We offer a full range of cooling services, from AC repair and installation to ongoing maintenance agreements, ensuring your home remains comfortable and efficient 24/7.

Contact Black-Haak today for more information about how our experts can help your home stay cool and comfortable!