They don’t call August and September the “dog days of summer” for nothing. It’s when the Metrowest area typically endures the hottest temperatures of the year.  Interestingly enough just having a big AC may not be your ideal answer to cooling off. 

When dealing with a central air-conditioning system for your home make sure that the fan shuts off along with the compressor, that is, do not make the central fan circulate the cool air, use circulating fans for each room instead.

Following are a few cooling tips which can save your air conditioning systems from breaking out in a sweat:

  • Use whole house fans. This helps maintain a cool temperature by dragging cool air through the whole house and throwing out the hot air through the attic. Whole house fans work best during night time when the outdoors is cooler than the indoors.
  • In the summer months, your thermostat should ideally be set as high as possible. The closer the temperatures outside and inside are the less your cooling bill will be! If your thermostat is set at a colder setting your cooling rate will slow down, the temperature will fall to an uncomfortable level AND your cooling expenses will mount.
  • Let your fan’s speed be high unless of course, the weather is particularly humid in which case you will be better off setting it at a lower speed.
  • Use an interior fan to complement your window AC. This will give your AC a helping hand and distribute the cool air better without unnecessarily increasing your electricity bills.
  • Putting your lamps, TV sets, etc. near your thermostat is a big no-no. The heat from these appliances can be detected by the thermostat making the AC run unnecessarily long.
  • Consider shade near your exterior windows. It’s ok to put trees or shrubs near your air conditioning unit to help shade it but make sure they don't get in the way of the airflow. An AC unit functioning under shade is known to use almost 10% less amount of electricity than one functioning directly under the sun.
  • Lucky number 7 is, of course, to be sure and perform regular maintenance checks on your HVAC unit. By keeping an eye on your unit, you can catch small problems before they become larger, more expensive ones. And, by keeping your unit running at its most efficient, you will also save on that electricity bill.

 

If you have more questions or are in need of an HVAC specialist, let me know. I can help point you in the right direction.