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Summer season has arrived, our Redlands air conditioning experts are kept busy with calls from customers who need repairs, new installations, and maintenance check-ups. We also hear from our customers who often wonder what they can do to save money on their air conditioning bills, how they can improve the efficiency of their AC units, and what needs to be done to keep the cool air in and the hot air out! There are things you can do yourself to improve the energy efficiency of your home. The following are some useful tips you can use to ensure that your AC unit runs at its best and most efficient, and to make sure you do keep more cooled air indoors, where it belongs:
- Weather stripping isn’t just for use during the winter! Using weather stripping is an affordable, effective and easy way to really make a big difference in sealing the cool air into your home and keeping that hot, outdoor air out. Windows and doors are the best and most common areas to install it; these foam strips have adhesive on one side, and do a great job at filling in gaps where air escapes and exchanges. You can also apply weather stripping around the access points to your attic.
- Speaking of windows, take a good look at yours. You might be surprised at just how much air moves through the seals and through the windows themselves. If your windows are very old, you may want to consider replacing them with new insulating windows – which can make a world of difference. You don’t have to replace all of your windows at once; many people elect to replace a few each year until they have completed the project.
- Everyone knows that insulation serves to keep indoor air in and outdoor air out, but many people don’t know just how big a part it actually plays. Your attic is one of the most crucial areas in which you should place insulation. If you have some there already, you might want to add more. The most common types of insulation are the rolls that are easy to “unroll” across the attic floor, and blown-in insulation. Blown-in insulation is an affordable option that will even cover the corners and other areas that are hard-to-reach for optimum coverage.
- Installing insulating blinds or thermal curtains is another effective way to keep your precious cooled air indoors, ultimately reducing your energy usage and bills. These curtains should at least be installed in the windows of the sunniest rooms in your home, and they consist of an outer layer that is decorative and an inner layer on the back that has heat-reflecting film or high density foam to help keep sunlight and hot air out (or cold air out, in the winter).
- How long has it been since the roof of your home was replaced? If you’re due for a new roof, consider having heat-reflecting shingles installed, or have your roof sealed with a heat-reflective coating. As you can imagine, the temperature of a hot roof in the middle of summer is scorching, and a lot of that heat transfers into your home, especially to the upper floors. You’ll save a huge amount of money on your cooling bills by keeping that hot air out with heat-reflective materials!
You don’t have to live uncomfortably in a hot home, afraid to run your air conditioning for fear of hefty cooling bills this summer! There are many other ways you can make your Redlands air conditioning work smarter, not harder! For help with more ways to keep cool air in and warm air out this summer, contact Sanborn’s today!