Stop Believing These 6 Myths About Home Cooling

You may be facing a huge electricity bill, you may be facing a system that is not working effectively, or you may simply feel confused about what is happening with the HVAC maintenance hurrah, you are not alone. That is why we are here to shatter some of the most abiding myths that are likely to be going on in your house just now-and to costing you money every month.

Myth 1: Turning the Thermostat down will make your house cool quicker

Viable: you do not have a turbo mode on your air conditioning system. It works at a fixed load irrespective of the temperature you set it at.

We will begin with one of the largest violators. That is when you get home on a hot day and immediately set that thermostat to Arctic, because you think it will get things finished faster? Nah, that is not the way it is and I am on a bet that you have been doing so all your life.

Here is the truth: whether you set your AC to 60 deg F or 65 deg F, your AC unit is operating at the same rate. The compressor is running at the same rate, the refrigerant is circulating at the same rate and cold air is released at equal rate as it would in any other position. Though your air conditioning does not speed up to cool quickly because you have set it lower, it just goes to a lower endpoint and proceeds to work longer to impress.

What actually occurs when you set it to a very low temperature when you blow it is that your system is running longer than it should, it is consuming more energy and is increasing your utility bills. Rather, turn your thermostat to the temperature you want, and it will achieve it at its own speed. Your AC is not a race car, it is a stable marathon runner and will go as slow as it wants no matter how much you yell at it.

The actual plan in this case is the installation of a programmable or smart thermostat which regulates the temperatures according to your schedule and likes. This will provide you with the comfortability you desire without an energy wasteful use. To understand more of the mechanics of your cooling system and how to make it as efficient as possible, refer to our the A-to-Z of HVAC: Everything You Need to Know, which gets into the details of system operation and energy-saving tips in greater depth.

Myth 2: Sealing Vents on Unoccupied Rooms Will Save you some money

Fact: Vents do not save money, in fact it ruins your system because it pressurizes the ductwork and makes your AC to work harder.

This myth is so well worn that it almost seemed like ordinary wisdom. The reasoning appears valid: seal up the rooms you are not utilizing, channel that cool air into the rooms you are utilizing, and viola, decrease in your energy expenses and lessen your electricity expenses, correct? Wrong. and, indeed, it can do your system great harm in the long run to make the vents close.

The following is what is happening behind the scenes. The air conditioning system is designed to run efficiently with a level of air flow. By closing vents, you are limiting that airflow that augments pressure in the ductwork. This additional pressure causes your AC unit to strain more in order to get air to travel through the remaining open vents. It’s the same as squeezing a garden hose, the water will not run better to other places but instead it will raise resistance and pressure.

This strain causes efficiency of the system to be lowered, more power to be used and your compressor may be damaged with age. The compressor in your cooling system is not built to operate against high pressure and pushing it to do so might greatly reduce their lifetime. You may get a slight decrease in your energy consumption by conditioning less area, but you are going to lose a great deal of energy in your system operating more enthusiastically. It is a net negative that costs you money instead of saves you money.

The better approach? Always leave all your vents open so that there is adequate air movement and efficiency of the system. In case some rooms are too cold, you can use the ceiling fans or zone-control thermostats to ensure that you maintain the comfort but without affecting the performance of your AC unit.

Myth 3: Replace Your Air Filter Once a Year

Reality: Air filters are expected to be checked after every month and changed after every three months, depending on the dust level and the house circumstances.

Provided you believe that your air filter is an item that you check once every spring during maintenance, and you do not even remember it until the next year, you have pre-programmed a problem and an increased electric bill. It is one of such myths based on the ancient wisdom that does not apply to the majority of the current households or climates.

The fact of the matter is that the air filters collect dust, pet hair, pollen, and any type of debris at a varying rate based on your living situation. When you keep pets, are allergic or live in a dusty climate, such as most of California, you may need to have your filter serviced every month or two. Most filters are to be checked monthly, and changed after three months even in the best of circumstances.

A plugged air filter severely limits airflow and this compels your air conditioning system to do more work, limiting efficiency, and making energy expensive. It also lets the contaminants to flow through to the sensitive parts of your system which will lead to damage that ends costly repair. Other than this, the quality of the air in your area influences the indoor environment of your house, which has an influence on your health and comfort. With a dirty filter, your cooling system must run a little longer before the same temperature is reached and that translates to increased electricity bills each and every month.

Then this is what you need to do, set an appointment with yourself after every month to filter your calendar. If it looks dirty, replace it. It is a very easy 10 minutes activity that can cost you hundreds in energy bills in just one year and increase the lifespan of your system by a long distance. You can consider it like going to the dentist, a painful maintenance procedure that is currently a hassle but will save you a lot in the future.

Myth 4: Ceiling Fans Cool your house

Fact: The ceiling fans do not make the air cooler they only circulate the air to make you feel colder and to distribute your air conditioning better.

This is one that gets people off their feet. And we put the ceiling fans in place and they spin round and round and we feel cooler. And then we suppose that our house is really becoming cooler, right? The downside here is the price: ceiling fans do not reduce the temperature of your room.

The aim of the ceiling fans is to produce the air circulation and the effect of the wind that will make you feel colder. This is courtesy to what is known as evaporation cooling on your skin. But what the temperature was in the room? It stays exactly the same. Actually, the ceiling fans are a source of heat through their motors and in fact, this will increase room temperature by a little but the difference is not much when used in the right way with your air conditioning.

Before you imagine that I am saying that ceiling fans are useless, please listen to me. They are such a good idea when strategically combined with your air conditioning and HVAC system. The ceiling fans assist in better distribution of cold air in a room and avoid temperature stratification where there is cold air in certain places and hot air in others. That is, your AC does not need to strive in order to ensure that the level of comfort is constant within your dwelling.

In summer, operate your ceiling fans in the counter-clockwise mode to force the cool air to go down. In winter, flip the switch in order to pump in warm air and save on heat bills. This plan can save you as much as 4degF of AC without losing the comfort and this can be translated into actual savings of power on your monthly electricity bills.

Myth 5: You do not need to service your AC, as there is nothing wrong with it

Reality: Preventative maintenance of HVAC identifies minor issues before they turn in to costly failures and ensures your system runs at its best.

This is the don’t fix what works well attitude to maintenance of the AC, and this is one of the most costly myths in existence. The fact that your air conditioner is blowing cold air does not imply that it is running at its optimum capacity and that it will continue running at its best. As a matter of fact, unchecked systems run without routine maintenance tend to breakdown unexpectedly and need costly emergency maintenance on the hottest days of summer.

Think of it like your car. You even have your oil changed regularly even though you engine appears to be performing quite well, right? This is due to the fact that preventative maintenance identifies minor problems before it turns into a disastrous failure. This is also true of your HVAC system. A well-kept AC system is efficient, consumes less energy, is more durable, and offers better air quality to your house.

When servicing your refrigerator, technicians wash off the coils of your evaporator and condenser, check the amount of refrigerant in the refrigerator, scan the electrodes, lubricate motors, and find out the possible issues in advance. Even a simple case of a clogged evaporator coil can cut the efficiency of your system by 30 percent or more making your cooling system use much more electricity. In the long run, this loss of efficiency is much more expensive than the maintenance itself.

Professional service is usually advised by most manufacturers at least annually, preferably at the onset of the cooling season. Not every one knows that failure to maintain your product may nullify the manufacturers warranty and you are literally left to pick up the payment in the event of a failure. You should have your HVAC maintained once per year during spring to ensure that you will be ready to meet the expectations of summer.

Myth 6: There are no differences in air conditioning systems

Facts: There is a huge difference between different systems of ACs in efficiency, type, and cost-penny savings are saved in thousands of energy payments during the lifespan of the system.

This myth makes the people make bad decisions whenever they require something to be replaced or upgraded. They operate on the assumption that all AC units provided the same cooling ability will provide the same performance and prices. The truth of the matter is that various AC systems are incredibly dissimilar in terms of efficiency, capabilities, and cost that will influence your electrical bills throughout your lifetime.

The air conditioning systems differ greatly in the projections of SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) that is a measure of how much they are able to cool your house in comparison to the amount of electricity they use. A higher SEER rated unit would be more expensive to buy but it would present great savings of energy in the long run. This difference counts in California or any other hot state. An annual saving in electricity of between 500 to 1000 dollars may be the difference between a system that is old and one that is modern and highly efficient.

Cooling systems are also of various kinds. There are central air conditioning, ductless mini-splits, window units all have their pros and cons depending on the design of your home, climate and cooling requirements.

When you need to change your system, talk to a professional that will be able to evaluate the particular cooling requirements of your home, your budget, and long-term energy efficiency targets. Low initial costs do not necessarily mean low costs in general, in fact, in some cases the increased initial costs are recoverable over years of reduced electricity bills.

Stop Myths, Start Saving

Your home’s cooling system is more complex than most people realize, and the myths surrounding it are costing homeowners real money each month. By understanding how your AC actually works, maintaining it properly, and making informed decisions about upgrades, you can dramatically improve your comfort while reducing energy costs.

Stop cranking your thermostat to arctic levels, keep those vents open to maintain proper airflow, check your filters monthly, schedule professional maintenance annually, and invest in quality upgrades when the time comes. These simple actions, combined with realistic expectations about what your AC can and can’t do, will transform your summer experience and keep your electricity bills under control.

Ready to stop throwing money away on cooling inefficiency? Whether you’re in San Jose, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Palo Alto, or anywhere throughout Silicon Valley, the expert technicians at Air & Plumbing Systems are here to help. Our certified HVAC specialists serve the entire San Francisco Bay Area and guarantee your cooling system is operating at peak efficiency and safety.

Don’t wait for your AC to fail on the hottest day of summer. Schedule your professional HVAC maintenance today and start saving on your electricity bills tomorrow. Contact Air & Plumbing Systems now for a free consultation and discover how much you could save this cooling season. The result? More comfort, less cost.