How to Reduce the Need for Air Conditioning and Save on Cooling

When you reduce the need for air conditioning, you’ll immediately save on cooling costs. Regardless of the season, heat always seeks colder temperatures and in the summer, it finds its way into your home through the attic, windows, doors and through cracks. The heat you produce indoors also increases your need for cooling, as do aging, inefficient appliances.

• Check the insulation in the attic. For optimal protection from thermal transfer, there should be 16 to 20 inches throughout. Insulation is one of the least expensive ways to reduce your home’s need for conditioning, and it lasts for years.
• Seal the air leaks around windows, exterior doors and anywhere you see pipes, wires or other infrastructure penetrating your home. You may need to inspect the foundation and the attic to uncover more areas of air infiltration. Caulk, expanding foam and weatherstripping are easily available and will stop the flow of air in and out of your home.
• Use ceiling fans in rooms you occupy the most. Moving air feels cooler than stagnant air, and fans use a lot less electricity than A/C.
• The orientation of your home to the sun makes a difference in its cooling load. If you have unshaded south or west windows, consider thermal drapes, shade screens or solar reflective film to cut down on heat transfer. Shade screens and reflective film stop UV rays, which will reduce the need for air conditioning so that you save on cooling. Lighter roofing material and house paint or exterior materials also make a difference in the amount of heat that the structure absorbs.
• Replace old and inefficient appliances with those that carry the Energy Star. They do cost more initially. Over time, however, they’ll pay for themselves in energy savings, especially your cooling system, which likely uses the most electricity of anything else in your home.

The pros at Air Experts can help you reduce the need for air conditioning to help you save on cooling this summer. To learn more, please contact us today. We’ve provided quality HVAC services for the greater Raleigh-Durham area, and Chapel Hill since 1986.

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