Downsize Your A/C Use and Stay Cool All Summer Long

The cost of energy has forced many Orlando homeowners to think of alternative ways to keep cool in the summer, that won’t break the bank. Here are some suggestions to help you downsize your A/C use, reduce your carbon footprint, and save you money all summer long.

• Turn on a fan. Floor and ceiling fans help you feel cooler due to the wind chill effect, where the breeze they create accelerates the evaporation of perspiration on your skin. Using them while a room is occupied can help downsize your A/C use, but be sure to turn them off when you leave.
• Provide shade. Protect your outdoor compressor unit from the heat of the sun with strategic landscape planting, making sure to leave sufficient room to prevent blocking the airflow.
• Put your thermostat to work.  Program your thermostat several degrees higher during times you will be asleep or away, and back down an hour before you’re due to arrive home. Install the unit away from direct sources of heat such as sunlight, lighting and heat producing appliances such as your television.
• Schedule annual preventive maintenance. The best way to guarantee the efficiency and reliability of your A/C is through routine maintenance where your contractor will clean, tune and identify small repairs before they become big ones.
• Ventilate and insulate. Your attic can become extremely hot in the summer, and without a proper barrier between it and your living space, that heat can radiate down, forcing your A/C to work overtime. Consider installing an attic fan to increase ventilation, and adding another layer of insulation to make the R-value between R-49 and R-60, including the hatch.
• Tighten up your homes envelope. Air leaks from cracks in the foundation, around doors and windows, and ductwork can all allow warm air inside, and cool, conditioned air to escape. Seal ducts with a foil backed tape or duct mastic, and exterior leaks with weatherstripping or caulking.

For more tips on how to downsize your A/C use, call the experts at Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions, proudly serving homeowners in Orlando and the surrounding area since 1969.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about A/C use and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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