When summer heat sets in, lowering the thermostat often means raising your power bill. However, proactive maintenance—specifically cleaning your outdoor condensing unit—can drastically improve your system's efficiency, cut costs by up to 20%, and keep your home perfectly comfortable all season long.
Understanding Air Conditioning Usage
Simple temperature dictates that we will use our air conditioning more during the summertime. When sweat starts gathering on our brow, and we start feeling uncomfortable in our own homes, the thermostats will be lowered. Unfortunately, that also puts our power bills front and center.
The Importance of a Clean Outdoor Condensing Unit
During the summertime, the most critical element for cutting cooling costs is keeping the outdoor condensing unit clean. That’s where you’re robbed of the most efficiency. When it gets dirty, it can’t perform correctly, which makes it run more and leads to higher energy bills.
The Dryer Lint Tray Analogy
I used to tell customers it was a lot like cleaning the lint tray in your dryer. The coil will get restricted and won’t allow air to pass through it, making regular maintenance so important.Â
Proactive Maintenance with Perfect Service Heating & Air
At Perfect Service Heating & Air, we use a special cleaner to wash the coil from the inside out. When the unit can breathe appropriately, the fan creates suction underneath, ensuring it performs optimally. This directly affects air temperature and efficiency.
Saving on Energy Costs
About 10-20% savings can be achieved through proper maintenance—this is not negligible. I’ve even seen situations where the temperature coming out of vents is affected by 8 to 10 degrees after a thorough clean. Keeping that outdoor unit clean and clear of debris enhances efficiency and extends the unit's lifespan.
Recognizing Underlying Issues
Many people believe their air conditioners only fail during extreme heat, but this is misleading. High temperatures cause units to run more, increasing the likelihood of breakdowns. Often, an underlying issue has existed long before the unit fails.
The Consequences of Neglect
You don’t want to wait until that moment in late May when you turn on your air conditioner and find it’s not working. Investing in regular service can lead to exponential savings down the road.Â
Comfort Beyond Just Costs
More than just the amount of money leaving your checking account, consider the discomfort that arises from a malfunctioning air conditioner in the summer heat. If you’re paying for it and not comfortable, that’s the definition of misery.
Enjoying Peak Efficiency Year-Round
With proper maintenance, you can achieve both comfort and the knowledge that your unit is running at peak efficiency. It’s all about being proactive. You wouldn’t wait for your engine to start ticking to change your oil. For better gas mileage, a clean engine is essential. Take that same approach with your home cooling unit to ensure its longevity and efficiency.
The most critical step is keeping your outdoor condensing unit clean. If the unit gets dirty, it cannot perform correctly and runs more often, which leads directly to higher energy bills.
Homeowners can see an average savings of 10% to 20% on their cooling bills just by properly cleaning the outdoor unit.
While extreme heat forces units to run more frequently and makes them more apt to break, the truth is there was likely an underlying issue all along. Proactive maintenance helps catch these issues before you are left miserable in the heat.
It is very similar to getting your car's oil changed. You don't wait for your engine to start ticking to get an oil change because a clean engine gets better gas mileage; similarly, a clean home cooling unit runs at peak efficiency.
