We first provided you with information about the function of your AC, the size of your AC what might go wrong with your AC, the role of the filters and benefits of maintaining your system. However, that is not all you need to know about your air conditioner. There are five other top things you should know that will help you identify or prevent future issues!
What is the importance of AC Ducts?
Sometimes your systems may appear not to be producing enough cold air and that is because of duct leakage. If the ducts pass outside the cooled space, which sometimes includes attics, crawlspaces and garages, duct leakage can drain 20 to 40 percent of the energy out of even a well-operating air conditioner. Your AC ducts outside need to be well insulated.
How to increase energy efficiency?
Sealing leaky ducts may be the biggest single thing you can do to improve efficiency. Other ways to improve efficiency is replacing dirty filters, keeping the right charge & airflow and cleaning the coils.If you are replacing the air conditioner, look to buy high efficiency equipment. The most generally known efficiency rating is Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER). SEER 13 is the minimum efficiency you should consider but higher efficiencies are likely to be quite cost effective. In hot, dry climates you should look at the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) which says how well the system will work at peak conditions. If you live in a hot, humid climate you need to consider how well the unit can dehumidify.
How to lighten your load?
You can make your air conditioner work better by reducing the size of the job it has to do. This can be done by improving the building or reducing the internally generated loads that your air conditioner must deal with. This includes improving insulation levels or shading windows or reducing air leakage.These improvements will reduce energy spent on heating and cooling, but may require substantial time or investment. When putting in a new roof or new windows, it is usually cost effective to use high-efficiency products.
Also reducing your internal loads can be easier. For example shut off unneeded electrical appliances, lights and equipment. Change appliance use such as washers and dryers to cooler times of the day. Use local exhaust fans to remove heat and humidity from kitchens and baths. Buying Energy Star or similarly efficiency appliances helps as well. When not in a room always turn off a ceiling fan.
Why is it important to ventilate?
Most of the previous points have focused on cooling, but air conditioning contains more than just cooling. An ideal air conditioner should heat, cool, clean, ventilate, humidify and dehumidify as needed to provide health and comfort. In fact the second most important objective is to provide ventilation. Without enough ventilation, contaminants generated indoors will lead to significant health and comfort problems.
It is not the Heat but the Humidity
Humidity control was the problem that originated the need for air conditioning. In particular the lack of humidity control in hot and humid climates around Virginia can lead to mold growth and other moisture-related problems. High indoor humidities can lead to health and comfort problems as well. Modern air conditioners dehumidify as they cool and you can see that by the water that drains away, but this dehumidification is incidental to their main job of controlling temperature. However, they cannot independently control both temperature and humidity.
In hot, humid climates the incidental dehumidification that occurs may not always be enough to keep the indoor humidity conditions acceptable. Some new models of high-end systems have enhanced dehumidification.