Welcome to Ready & Able, formerly known as David LeRoy Plumbing! Although our name and brand have changed, we are still here to serve you and all of your plumbing, heating, cooling, and air quality needs!
Summertime cooling is essential to staying comfortable and safe. It can also result in big electric bills that can really put a dent in a budget. Let’s look at important HVAC practices to lower energy consumption without making you suffer for it.
Ceiling fans are beneficial in most rooms. In rooms you’re using, they help you feel cooler via the wind-chill effect. Even in unoccupied areas, they help to distribute the cooling more evenly and reduce humidity and pollutant levels.
For summertime, run fans at the highest speed, in a counterclockwise direction. Use air circulators in rooms where ceiling fans aren’t practical. Avoid too much natural sunlight, as it can easily heat a room by several degrees or more. Choose window treatments that will block the sun and heat to keep your rooms cooler.
For energy conservation, 78 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature. It strikes a great balance between comfort, safety, costs, and environmental impact. You may find that 78 degrees isn’t low enough for you even with an optimal relative humidity (RH) and ample circulation. Consider lowering the temperature by 1 degree until you find your sweet spot. Be mindful that every degree change can increase your bill by 1-3%.
Central ACs, heat pumps, and ductless mini-splits all need annual maintenance. Schedule a cooling tune-up in the spring before the hot and humid weather arrives. Most HVAC warranties require it. It can prevent repairs, extend the life of your system, and lower your electric bills.
A key way cooling maintenance lowers your bills is through coil cleaning. Air conditioners have evaporator and condenser coils that are integral to the refrigeration process. Over a cooling season, those coils build up grime and even microbial growth in the case of an evaporator coil. That buildup insulates the coil and makes the exchange of heat energy less efficient. That causes your electric bill to go up, and regular coil cleaning will prevent that.
The optimal comfort range for RH in a home is 40%-50%. A clean evaporator coil will help your AC maintain a comfortable RH naturally through cooling. Depending on your local climate, you may find that you don’t achieve 50% or less via cooling alone.
In that case, install a whole-home dehumidifier. A dehumidifier will not only make you more comfortable but also reduce the workload on your AC. Even though a dehumidifier uses electricity, it can lower your system’s overall consumption.
HVAC ducts are often out of sight, out of mind, but they’re crucial to HVAC performance. Duct experts recommend scheduling a duct camera inspection at least every several years. A seasonal tune-up usually doesn’t include a duct inspection, but you can schedule those services for the same appointment.
A top concern with duct performance is leakage, which can undermine comfort and air quality while driving up energy costs considerably. Leaky ducts can lose as much as 40% of the conditioned air that moves through the system. That can make a dramatic difference in your electric bill. Duct sealing and other duct repairs can minimize that loss to less than 5%.
Another concerning issue with ducts is that dust and other debris build up in them over time. That dust can cause stale air, unpleasant odors, and, eventually, a more serious indoor air quality impact. Over the years, the accumulation can get so bad that it obstructs the airflow. The lower airflow will decrease comfort and increase operating costs. The solution is periodic professional duct cleaning before it gets to that point.
Good filter habits help to maintain a cleaner, more efficient HVAC system and cleaner indoor air. Poor habits can have the opposite effect. The industry uses the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) to measure filter effectiveness.
Modern HVAC systems generally support between MERV 8 and MERV 13 filters. Avoid using a filter with an excessively high MERV rating for your system. It will decrease energy efficiency and place more strain on the system. A clogged filter can have this effect as well. That’s why you should check it at least once a month and replace it as needed.
According to the Department of Energy, you can lower annual cooling costs by up to 10%. To do that, use a programmable or smart thermostat to lower air conditioning by 7-10 degrees for at least 8 hours daily. Most households can do that easily overnight and while away at work or school.
If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, it’s an excellent time to upgrade. It can pay for itself in just one or two summers and even faster if there are rebates available. If you already have one, double-check it. Industry research reveals that over 50% of households with a programmable thermostat never set it up appropriately or update it.
The core difference between a programmable and a smart thermostat is Wi-Fi capabilities. A smart thermostat allows for remote access and control. Smart thermostats often have additional features that can help you increase savings beyond 10%.
As mentioned, most households with smart thermostats either don’t set them up or don’t keep them updated. Machine learning has been an emphasis for the industry, and there are already learning thermostats on the market.
Some of these can even program themselves within several days of installation. Most can monitor your household behaviors and update the programming automatically to lower your electric bill and carbon footprint.
Energy-monitoring thermostats can track your system’s energy usage. One reason this is useful is that spikes in usage are often the first sign of a cooling problem. Another is that over time, this data can reveal inefficiencies in your HVAC practices. Many of these thermostats even provide reports along with recommendations to lower your energy consumption.
Many local utilities have peak rates in order to discourage demand on the grid during high-usage periods. These periods can cost you significant money, especially if you’re running your system lower than 78 degrees.
It’s increasingly common for utilities to offer demand response programs. You can opt in with a compatible smart thermostat. The utility can then automatically adjust your thermostat by several degrees in return for bill credits. If your utility doesn’t offer such a program, you can opt for a thermostat with rate awareness instead. These thermostats can automatically adjust your setting up to 78 degrees during those periods.
This feature is even more sophisticated than energy monitoring for preventing repair issues. It tracks system performance and detects when it’s outside normal parameters. The system can then alert you to schedule a diagnostic appointment. The industry estimates that this feature can lower your maintenance and repair costs by 40%.
Ready & Able Plumbing is located in Etters, PA, and we’ve served this region for over 25 years. We have expert cooling service technicians who provide all the services you need to maximize HVAC efficiency. That includes tune-ups, maintenance plans, duct cleaning, and much more.
Call today or contact us online to learn more about how we can help you lower your cooling bills.
Welcome to Ready & Able, formerly known as David LeRoy Plumbing! Although our name and brand have changed, we are still here to serve you and all of your plumbing, heating, cooling, and air quality needs!