Your home’s cooling system is crucial to keeping your family healthy and comfortable throughout summer. It can also be the cause of budget-busting electric bills. Let’s explore the essential maintenance you need to relax while minimizing your expenses.
Regular Home Energy Audits
Your home’s building envelope has a big effect on your comfort, energy costs, and environmental footprint. A tight building envelope leads to better cooling and lower costs. A loose one causes uneven cooling, extended system cycling, and higher costs. A home energy assessment reveals where you should make improvements.
Duct Inspection and Services
A duct camera inspection, often part of an energy audit, is integral to identifying duct leakage. Leaky ducts can cause you to lose 20% or more of the conditioned air your system produces. Non-toxic aerosol-based duct sealing can lower leakage to less than 5%. Other optional duct repairs include replacing panels, mounting hardware, and insulation.
Attic Insulation
An energy assessment may reveal inadequate or worn attic insulation. Attic insulation is vital to maintaining a barrier between your cooled living spaces and the ambient-temperature attic. If insulation is insufficient, heat will escape through the ceiling.
Annual Spring Cooling Tune-Up
Schedule cooling maintenance every year, as most AC warranties require it. It also helps reduce electricity consumption and prevent repairs. The best time to schedule is in the early spring before the hotter weather arrives. A tune-up includes a multipoint inspection and thorough cleaning.
Your technician will correct minor issues and recommend proactive repairs, such as replacing worn ball bearings. A clean HVAC system is vital to efficiency and indoor air quality. Cooling systems use coils to transfer heat between the refrigerant and ambient air. When those coils get dirty over time, the grime serves as an insulator. With the indoor coil, you also risk microbial growth that can make you sick.
Dehumidifier Service
Dehumidifiers help improve comfort and air quality in summer. Whole-house dehumidifiers can also improve energy efficiency. If you use portable units, ensure they’re properly sanitized before use. If you have a whole-house system, schedule annual service alongside your AC tune-up. A technician with thoroughly inspect and clean your dehumidifier.
Maintain a Perimeter Around the Outdoor Unit
Proper airflow through your outdoor HVAC unit is essential to comfort and efficiency. Leaves and other debris can get inside the cabinet and obstruct airflow. Most experts recommend a perimeter of at least 1 foot and as much as 3 feet. That perimeter should be free of grass, bushes, overhanging branches, and so forth. A technician will clean the cabinet out during your tune-up. Still, you should keep an eye on it throughout the season and blow it out as needed.
Check Your Thermostat Programming
A tune-up also includes cleaning and calibration of your thermostat. If you have a programmable or advanced thermostat, check for software updates and update as needed. You should also check your profiles and schedules. Ensure that your programming reflects your household’s current schedules and helps you to minimize energy use.
Use the Right HVAC Filter
Use a high-quality HVAC filter in your supply vent, such as a pleated filter. Ensure that you have spares on hand throughout the summer, or call your HVAC provider for replacements. The industry uses the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) to measure filter effectiveness. Most modern AC systems support between MERV 8 and MERV 13. Using a filter with too high a MERV rating will restrict airflow, thereby increasing energy costs and decreasing comfort.
Check the Filter Regularly
If you have a central AC or heat pump, check the filter at least once a month. Replace it as soon as you see dust caking on the outer surface or hear a whistling sound. If you have a ductless AC or heat pump, clean your filters every two weeks and replace them once a year.
Clean Your Vents
Keep your return vents dusted for maximum airflow. Ensure that they’re open. Closed vents in a traditional single-zone HVAC system can cause performance issues. Likewise, you should keep as many interior doors open to maximize circulation throughout the home.
Trusted HVAC Services in the Austin Metro Area
Totally Cool Heating & Air in Austin, TX is the company you can trust for all your summer HVAC maintenance needs. Our NATE-certified technicians perform model-specific tune-ups for central ACs, heat pumps, and ductless mini-splits. We install and service ductwork and dehumidifiers. Our team also performs energy audits and insulates attics. Call today or contact us online with any questions about these services or to schedule an appointment. Be sure to ask us about our preventative maintenance agreements.
