Efficiency is all about two things: time and money.
And when it comes to air conditioning, all everyone ever talks about is efficiency. After all, inefficiency can add dollar signs to your monthly energy bill.
It’s no surprise, then, to find out that homeowners have come up with some clever ways to try and beat the efficiency game. But the truth is that they’ll only do more harm to your wallet in the end.
To clear up the fact from the fiction, we present three myths about air conditioning efficiency.
Myth #1: Keeping an older unit is saving you money
Regular maintenance and repair is essential to keeping your AC at peak performance. Likewise, it would make sense that regular maintenance could extend a unit’s lifespan.
As much as we hate to admit it, here’s the hard truth:
Your AC does have a life expectancy, and no amount of repairs can fix that.
Between 10 to 15 years of age, your AC simply won’t be able to run at the efficiency it once could. This will cause it to work harder, which takes a toll on various components in the machine.
At this point, you might enter a battle of “repair vs. replace,” opting to make small, affordable repairs instead of replacing the system. Keep it up for long, though, and the cost of repairs will exceed the replacement cost.
Myth #2: Bigger is better
A bigger air conditioner will cool down your home or building faster… right?
This misconception comes from the older days of HVAC, before people realized that efficiency was the key. At that time, getting your home cool as fast as possible was the single-minded goal. A bigger, more powerful AC was the logical solution.
With current HVAC technology, we can cool your home quickly and efficiently. It’s all about using the right sized unit, not an oversized one.
An oversized AC can cause short-cycling, and it’s one of the most common inefficiency issues caused by improperly sized units. To get the right sized unit for your home, make sure to only rely on a professional in HVAC in Mandeville, LA.
Myth #3: Setting a lower temperature = Faster cooling
In theory, this myth makes sense. It goes like this:
If you set your thermostat to a lower temperature than intended, you’ll get to your target temperature much quicker.
There are a couple reasons why this doesn’t work. One is that your AC can’t cool any faster than it’s designed to. Setting the temperature lower won’t force your AC to work harder or quicker.
The second is that the air coming out of the vents is not the same temperature as what you’ve set it to on the thermostat. In this line of thinking, it would make sense that setting your temperature to 60 would get you to 70 a lot faster.
Both of these reasons are based on a misunderstanding of how the AC actually works. In reality, this practice is only going to drive your costs up in the long-run.
When you need it done right, call Professional Heating & Air! Contact us today for all your HVAC needs.