Summer is here, and as the temperature goes up, unfortunately so does your monthly power bill. The trouble is, many of the age-old remedies for saving energy and money end up costing you more instead. Here’s the truth behind a few summertime energy-saving myths you may have fallen prey to.
- Myth: The lower you crank the thermostat, the quicker your house will cool down.
- Truth: While some air conditioners operate with variable speeds, most A/Cs have just “On” and “Off.” This means that the A/C will cool your house at the same speed no matter how low you set the thermostat. The only difference the lower temperature will make is at what point the A/C stops cooling. When you do this, you risk forgetting that you set the temperature so low, and your A/C will work overtime trying to achieve that very cold temperature.
- Myth: Turning off the A/C while you’re gone saves energy.
Truth: Unless it’s excessively hot outside, you’re probably better off turning off your A/C when you leave the house, or else setting it eight to 10 degrees higher than your comfort level. If you leave it set at your comfort level, the A/C will short cycle all day trying to maintain that temperature in an empty house, wasting energy and stressing parts. The solution is a programmable thermostat, which lets you cool your house back down from summertime temperatures more gradually a half-hour before you get home. - Myth: Save money on cooling costs by cooling empty rooms with a ceiling fan instead.
Truth: Ceiling fans don’t actually lower the temperature of the room itself. Instead, they use the wind-chill effect to make people feel like the temperature is cooler than it actually is. While this helps save energy in an occupied room by allowing you to turn up the thermostat a few degrees, turn off the fans in rooms that aren’t in use. - Myth: Closing air vents to unused rooms will boost A/C efficiency.
Truth: Unless you have a zoned A/C system, your air conditioning system is designed and sized to distribute conditioned air to the entire house. Closing off rooms runs the risk of forcing open connections in duct runs serving the closed-off rooms, and throws the system’s air balance out of whack, sacrificing efficiency.
For more help finding the truth behind summertime energy-saving myths, please contact us at Bill Joplin’s Air Conditioning & Heating. We proudly serve McKinney, Frisco, Allen and other nearby communities.
