Help Your Air Conditioner This Season: Here Are 8 Ways

Warmer weather is coming, and when it does, you’ll be relying more and more on your central air conditioner or mini-split cooling system to keep your family comfortable (especially this year, when you’ll probably be spending more time indoors than you normally would).

The problem is it’s not always practical – or affordable – to run your air conditioner 24/7.

The question is, how can you take some of the load off your A/C when temperatures rise so it doesn’t have to overwork and run constantly?

Eight low-cost ways to keep your cool this summer:

1. Mind your window treatments – Up to 30 percent of the unwanted heat in your home comes through the windows, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to your window treatments and how you use them. Close blinds to reduce the greenhouse effect, and consider installing window treatments that reflect light away from your space. Check out this link from the U.S. Department of Energy for more tips on efficiency-promoting window treatments.
2. Pay attention to your doors – Close doors to unused rooms to keep cool air from escaping during the hot daytime hours, then open them on cool nights to encourage airflow between rooms. Consider installing door sweeps, too – especially between conditioned and unconditioned spaces (between your front and garage doors and your living space, for example).
3. Reverse your ceiling fans – Most ceiling fans will spin in either direction – set yours to run counter-clockwise at higher speeds in the summer to move air around.
4. Use your exhaust fans – Exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathrooms are effective at removing heat and humidity from your living space – use them when cooking and showering.
5. Swap your incandescent lights for LEDs – About 90 percent of the energy that incandescent bulbs emit is released as heat, not light, which makes every lamp in your house that uses a tungsten bulb a mini-space heater. Replace your tungsten bulbs with LEDs and you will cool your home and lower your electric bill.
6. Add insulation – Insulation may seem like something that’s important during the winter (it is), but it’s also important in the summer because it keeps cool air in and warm outdoor air out of your living area. For insulation tips, check out this link.
7. Minimize your use of heat-producing appliances – The last thing you want to do on a 100-degree day is turn on a 400-degree oven. Grill outside when you can.
8. Maintain your air conditioner – Let’s face it: there are some days when it’s just too hot and sticky to go without A/C. Just make sure that your cooling system is ready for the challenge by having it maintained by air conditioning professionals – preferably before the first heatwave of 2020.

Once COVID-19 restrictions are eased, we expect a surge in requests for A/C maintenance that could back up our technicians for weeks. If you need air conditioning service in northern NJ, we strongly suggest that you sign up for a JW Pierson A/C Service Plan and lock in an appointment time with a deposit so you’ll be early on the list!

Please note: At JW Pierson, your safety and comfort are always our priority. Please see our COVID-19 Service Update Page to learn more about how we are working to keep our crews and your home cooling and heating systems working through this challenging time.