With the rising costs of fuel, lumber, and other day-to-day products, many people are looking to trim costs where they can. Though you want the relief of an air conditioning system in your home available on those hot days of summer in Hampshire and Hamden County, Massachusetts, trimming operating costs can help with your overall finances. Unfortunately, many homeowners have gotten into bad habits with cooling their homes and operating their air conditioning systems that unnecessarily waste power and raises the costs. To help you trim operating costs of your air conditioning, we at Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning would like to offer some tips on how you can reduce the air conditioning operating costs.

Why Should You Keep Your House at 78 Degrees?

In the hopes of overcoming the heat, the more likely people will shove their home’s thermostat down lower, the hotter it gets outside. It only makes the AC run for longer as it struggles to reach a setting it might not be able to achieve as this doesn’t provide a larger volume of cooling or make the AC cool the house faster. When people are home, it is recommended setting the thermostat at 78° during the day. Not only is this a comfortable temperature for most people, but it also slows down how fast the house gains heat from outside. By 5–20%, these settings can cut down on cooling costs.

Schedule Annual HVAC Maintenance

There are many reminders to schedule air conditioning maintenance with your HVAC expert in the spring. The surest way to prevent your AC from suffering a yearly decline in energy efficiency is maintenance. Adding up over time, maintenance neglect during the year will cause a 5% reduction in energy efficiency. In order to ensure your air conditioning system works at its peak efficiency, make sure to schedule annual maintenance services with your provider.

Is it Good to Turn Off Your AC when Not at Home?

When you shut the AC off entirely, you don’t save money. You allow your house to become too hot instead, and when you return home, you have to expend more energy to get control over the heat. Leaving the home with the normally set thermostat also costs more than necessary since no one is home. When you’re away, setting the thermostat to around 86–88°F is recommended. This will keep the house just cool enough that you won’t need to waste huge amounts of power to cool it back down to 78°F when you return and prevent the AC from running too often.

Is it Worth Upgrading to a Programmable or Smart Thermostat?

A programmable thermostat lets you have the AC start to cool the house before you arrive, so you have comfort when you get in the door. It is easier to automate the best settings during the day and night and programming gives you a greater range of control over the thermostat. A smart thermostat is even more beneficial as it monitors your home and uses your history of settings to find the ideal programs for maximum energy efficiency.

Central Air Conditioning Maintenance, Repairs, Replacement, Emergency Repairs & More in Springfield, Granby, Holyoke, South Hadley, Monson, Chicopee & Agawam, Massachusetts

We hope this helps trim your energy bills while operating the air conditioning system in your Hampshire and Hamden County, Massachusetts home. When it comes to maintenance, repairs, installations and replacement services, contact Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning to serve you!