It won’t be long now before summer heat waves really hit California and with that heat will come air conditioning units working overtime. Undoubtedly, it will also mean that many people will be making emergency calls when their A/C units break down.
Whether you’re already running your air or you’re gearing up to, there are some things you can do to take the stress off of your air conditioning system and still keep cool indoors.
Stay Cool This Summer and Save Your Air Conditioner
Keeping your home nice and cool and adjusting some little things can make a huge difference not just in the temperature of your home but also in your energy bills this summer. Here are the top five:
1. Schedule a Preventative Maintenance Check-Up
This is by far the most important way to avoid unexpected A/C breakdowns in the middle of a heat wave. A-1 Guaranteed Heating & Air, Inc. will come to your home and perform a pre-summer inspection of your system to make sure that it’s ready for the summer ahead.
Regular professional check-ups and maintenance can not only ensure that your system runs properly for longer, but it can also reduce your chances of having to call for emergency service.
2. Use Curtains, Shades, and Awnings
You might be surprised at just how much heat can enter through windows and increase the temperature of your home. In fact, up to 30% of the heat from the great outdoors seeps into homes through the windows! Most of the heating effect is a direct cause of that sunlight heating up solid surfaces indoors.
When you stop or at least limit that sunlight from being able to hit surfaces, the decrease in the heating effect is significantly reduced. Using curtains and shades indoors and awnings outdoors to block the sun’s path to your home’s interior is critical.
3. Close Off Rooms That are Not in Use
This includes closing the vents as well as the doors. Draw the curtains or close the blinds, as well. Doing these things with rooms that are not being used helps prevent cool air from entering them and being “wasted” during the hottest hours of the day. It also can keep the warmer air in those rooms from infiltrating other areas of the house.
4. Check Your Insulation
Insulation often crosses people’s minds during the winter, but it’s just as important in the summer. The air barrier that good insulation foam around a door can create is a much-needed addition to keeping your cool air inside and the hot air outside.
It’s important for maintaining a more consistent temperature within the home, which means your hard-working air conditioning system can catch more of a break. Using weather stripping around windows can also help if you can’t afford new windows right now.
5. Plant Shade Outside of Your Windows
Did you know that a tree in full bloom is able to block at least 70% of solar heat from entering a house? That’s a huge amount of heat that you could be sparing your house from. Find plants and trees that can come between the sun and your windows, especially windows that get hit by the hottest afternoon sunlight.
Trust A-1 Guaranteed Heating & Air to Keep Your A/C Running
Whether you want to schedule that important check-up before the real heat of summer hits or you’ve already discovered that you might have a problem with your system, reach out to our award-winning team at A-1 Guaranteed Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.
We service all major brands of HVAC systems in Solano, Vallejo, Napa, Contra Costa, and all of the surrounding areas. Don’t wait until your air conditioner breaks down; contact us today!
