Homeowner Maintenance
As a homeowner you have several things you can do to help maintain a healthy air conditioning system.
- Clean or replace the AC filters monthly. Dirty air filters cause your system to have to work even harder than necessary. Use your electric bill to remind you to replace your filter... when you go to send out your payment, change your air filter as well.
- For outside units, you need to ensure the grass is kept trimmed and any and all debris is kept clear of your unit. If your outdoor unit is blocked the airflow is lessened. If the airflow is lessened your system has to work overtime to do the same job and your energy bill will reflect this.
- Clean off dirt buildup on the indoor and outdoor coils of the central AC system. Outdoor coils can be cleaned with warm, soapy water but need to be treated gently. Before performing any maintenance, be sure to consult the owner's manual to answer any questions about an AC unit's care.
- Re-circulate air. It is far more economical to re-circulate and cool the indoor air than to draw in hot air from outside, cool it down and remove the moisture in it.
- Raise temperature settings. Each degree of temperature can represent up to 9% savings or added expense in cooling costs.
Keep the unit fan on "AUTO." It is not necessary to run the fan constantly when the air conditioner is turned on.
Use ceiling fans. Moving air with ceiling fans can increase the comfort range.