As Colorado’s summers continue to heat up, your cooling bills are also escalating. Here are some tips to help keep your cooling bills under control while still enjoying cool, comfortable conditions in your home.
Get Regular Air Conditioning Maintenance
A well-maintained air conditioner is an efficient air conditioner. If you aren’t getting regular air conditioning maintenance, your air conditioner is likely using more power than it needs to keep your home cool.
Dirty coils, worn out blowers and compressors, clogged air filters, and low coolant levels can all contribute to inefficient air conditioning. Regular air conditioning maintenance will ensure your unit delivers the most effective cooling for the least cost possible.
How Often Should You Schedule Air Conditioning Maintenance?
You should schedule air conditioning maintenance at least once a year. However, older units might need an additional tune-up in the middle of the season, especially when the weather is hot. Here are some signs that your AC might need additional maintenance:
- Higher energy costs
- Frequent cycling
- Unable to achieve your desired temperature
- Blowing warm air
Keep an eye on your energy bills, and if your bills seem high compared to previous years when the weather was just as hot, then it’s time to schedule some additional maintenance.
Also, if your air conditioning unit keeps turning on and off, it might need attention.
Your air conditioning unit should be able to achieve the temperature you desire at almost any time of year. If you are finding that it can’t get as cold as you have it set, it’s time to call for air conditioning maintenance.
Finally, if the air conditioning unit is blowing warm air, it’s time to get it looked at.
Replace Your Air Conditioning Unit
We understand that you want to avoid the cost of replacing your air conditioning unit. It never seems like a good time to get a new AC unit, but trust an expert when they tell you that now’s the time.
New units will work more efficiently, so you will see considerable savings on your cooling bills immediately. With the increased efficiency of the new unit, the reduced cost of air conditioning maintenance, and the improved conditions in your home or business, it’s often worth it to upgrade your AC.
Install a Programmable or Smart Thermostat
A programmable thermostat is a powerful tool for keeping your cooling bills under control. It allows you to set the temperature at any time during the night or day, so you can let your home warm up during the late afternoon hours when it’s hottest outside and you’re not home. With Xcel’s tiered rate schedule, you pay a premium for electricity at this time of day, so it’s important to minimize your energy consumption during these hours whenever possible.
Speaking of Xcel, the utility offers rebates for smart thermostats. Often these are instant rebates, saving you money immediately.
Or Learn to Use the One You Already Have!
Do you already have a programmable or smart thermostat, but don’t know how to use it? Mention this when you schedule air conditioning maintenance. Your technician will be able to help you understand how to work the controls.
Remember to Use Blinds or Curtains
Smart thermostats are a high-tech solution for reducing your cooling bills, but don’t neglect some effective old-fashioned approaches, like using blinds or curtains to keep the afternoon sun out of your home. You know the windows where the sun gets in and warms the house. Make sure you have effective blinds or curtains on these windows and remember to close them in the morning before you go to work, and only open them when the sun is no longer shining in there.
Let in the Cool Night Air
Another tried and true solution for keeping cooling bills down is to let in the cool air overnight. Despite scorching summer temperatures, most nights in Colorado still cool off enough that you can use outside air to efficiently cool your home. The average low temperature in July is only 56°F, plenty cool enough to make your home comfortable overnight without the air conditioner.
This is also a great way to let in some fresh outside air, which keeps the air in your home from feeling too stale.
Do Less Cooking Inside
Cooking inside introduces a lot of heat into your home that air conditioning must then remove. This is especially true of baking or doing anything else with the oven. Try to reduce the amount of cooking you do in your home during the hottest summer months.
There are several ways you can reduce the amount of cooking you do. First, you can plan meals that don’t require much cooking. Cold sandwiches, salads, and other dishes that you don’t cook can help you keep your house cool. You can also try grilling outside to keep your home cool. Now’s a good time to expand your grilling repertoire. The greater variety of dishes you can cook outside, the better this strategy will work for you.
Let Major Heating and Air Conditioning Help
If you need air conditioning maintenance, Major Heating and Air Conditioning is here for you. Since 1970, people from the Denver area have been happy with our services, and we keep getting better. Combining decades of experience with training in the latest technologies, Major Heating and Air Conditioning have the skills you need to keep your AC functioning efficiently and effectively.
We provide both residential and commercial air conditioning maintenance. We know how to keep your old system running as long as possible, but we also know when you’ll benefit from giving up on an old AC unit and getting a more efficient and effective one.
Contact us online today to schedule air conditioning maintenance, or call (720) 453-2704 for urgent repairs. Major Heating and Air Conditioning serves customers in Denver and the surrounding areas of Colorado.
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