Every season has its HVAC requirements, and your air conditioner has to be fully functional for the hot months. However, the functionality of your air conditioner depends on how well you take care of the unit. Using an air conditioner fully for a long time requires you to cultivate a healthy habit of maintaining all the unit parts. If you are living in a humid region like Boca Raton in Florida, you cannot afford to take chances with your air conditioning unit. You need to keep your AC in good condition to save yourself enormous costs in repair along the line. If you want to know more about how to limit the costs of air conditioner repair in Boca Raton, read this post carefully.
How to Limit the Costs of Air Conditioner Repair in Boca Raton, FL
Limiting an air conditioner repair cost is not something you can achieve in a day. Instead, you have to practice a set of healthy habits over time so that your air conditioner lasts a long time and requires fewer repairs. We have explained many of these actions that can help you limit air conditioner repair costs. Of course, you need to be diligent to do some of them, but knowing that you will be saving some valuable dollars in repairs should be a good motivation.
Fix Your Windows in Boca Raton, FL
Your windows contribute a lot to how much the air conditioner has to work to keep the temperature in your home at desired levels. If you are using old windows with no energy efficiency, consider replacing them with new ones capable of keeping the heat out.
In addition, newer winders have an energy-efficient coating that minimizes the passing of infrared light from the sun into the home. These windows prevent unconditioned air from coming into the home and thus, help keep the temperature at a favorable level.
Seal Air Leaks in Boca Raton, FL
Seal any place air may be passing into the house. These leaks come from the windows, attics, garages, dropped ceilings, air ducts, door frames, among many other crevices around the home. When you seal these leaks, you prevent cold air from entering the house and regulate your home’s temperature.
The Federal Trade Commission mentioned on their page that spending money to seal air leaks around your home can be a good investment. This is mainly because you won’t have to deal with costly AC repairs later.
Open Windows for Natural Ventilation
Don’t wait for the AC before cooling your house. You should imbibe the habit of opening the windows occasionally to let in clean air. When the windows are opened, you shouldn’t have the AC on. This break will do a world of good for your air conditioning unit, and you can allow fresh air to circulate your home.
You can also practice cross-ventilation by opening several windows across different rooms to allow the air to move freely around. If you practice this often, you can cut back on your energy bill by not putting too much strain on your air conditioner.
Opt for a Programmable or Smart Thermostat
Programmable thermostats make HVAC use enjoyable and efficient. Through the use of smart technology, your thermostat learns your habit and manages your HVAC system without interference. For example, if you are using a programmable thermostat, you can program it to turn off the air conditioner when you are not at home.
A smart thermostat also notices when you are not occupying a room and reduces the effort to keep such a room in livable condition. Programmable or smart thermostats are expensive to install, but the investment is worth it at the end of the day.
Get Ceiling and Portable Fans
Another way to limit the costs of an air conditioner repair in Boca Raton is to get ceiling and portable fans. You can use the ceiling fan to reduce the humidity in the air and place the portable fans strategically around the rooms to cool the air. These options are not as efficient as the air conditioner but are most cost and energy-efficient.
If you are building your home, you should inquire into the cost of getting ceiling fans in the rooms. Then, you can be assured that the cost will be justified with reduced energy bills in the future.
Use Light-Colored Curtains
The color of your curtains may seem more like a decision to be taken by the interior decorator, but your decisions can impact your energy bills in the future. Going for light colors when picking the blinds, shades, and curtains. These will block the sun and keep the house cool.
Inadvertently, this will reduce how much the air conditioner has to work, the cost of your electricity bill, and how often you have to repair your air conditioner due to use.
Fix a Roof With a Light Color
Similar to how light-colored curtains reflect sun rays and keep the room’s temperature low, light-colored roofs help reduce the temperature in the room. It does this by reflecting the sun’s rays and heat, thereby keeping your home cooler than one with a dark roof.
Replace Your Air Filters Frequently
To limit the cost of repairing an air conditioner, you must prevent it from developing faults you’ll need to fix. One of the ways to do this is to replace your air filters regularly, with the average being a month or two. The air filter helps the air conditioner keep the air in your home clean and keeps out dirt and grimes.
Dirt will make it difficult for air to circulate properly from the air filter, and the air conditioner will have to work extra hard to keep the room cool. However, reports show that a clean filter can lower your air conditioner’s energy consumption by 5% to 15%. That will not only mean a high energy bill by the end of the month but cause a strain on your AC unit, which you’ll have to pay to fix later.
Keep Heat-generating Appliances Away
If you want to limit the cost of repairing your air conditioner, you must be deliberate about things that affect how your air conditioner works. For example, air conditioners have to work extra hard in rooms with high humidity, which is why you should keep appliances that can cause humidity away.
Ensure that laundry machines, ovens, refrigerators, and other appliances are kept in insulated rooms with the doors shut tight. That way, the air conditioner in other parts of the house will not be working too hard to reduce the heat released by these appliances.
Keep Sunlight Away From Rooms in FL
The sun brings heat, and the air conditioner exists to keep heat away. Therefore, these two do not work well. To reduce strains that may require repair from your air conditioner, try to keep the sunlight away from rooms with the air conditioner working. You can do this by covering the windows with shades and keeping the blinds on during the day.
Stay in Lower Grounds During the Day
Research has shown that the sunlight reflects on the higher parts of the home, reducing its effects before it gets to the lower parts. This means that the top part of your home will most likely be hotter than the lower parts. Therefore, the air conditioner works harder in the higher parts of the home than the lower parts.
If you want to cultivate a lasting habit that will limit the cost of your air conditioner repair, you should spend more time on lower grounds during the day. Since lower grounds require less effort from the air conditioner, the unit works at an easier pace and can last longer. Then, when it’s time to sleep in the rooms upstairs, you can open the windows for some night breeze.
Service Your Air Conditioner Often in Boca Raton
One of the main ways to limit the cost of an air conditioner repair is to prevent it from developing faults in the first place. Do frequent checks on the unit and if you see anything out of place, consult a technician. You will spend fewer resources cleaning a clogged air filter than replacing it if it starts affecting the functionality of your air conditioner.
As a good maintenance service for your air conditioner, you should schedule annual maintenance checkups with the technician. They can run a full checkup of your air conditioning unit during this routine and notice any fault before it becomes a bigger issue.
Get the Right Size of Air Conditioner in Boca Raton
Most people don’t know about air conditioning units because it is not a one-size-fits-all. First, you have to buy a unit of the right size for your house’s needs. A unit too small will overwork itself to satisfy your cooling needs. This will call for frequent repairs and less enjoyment of the unit.
Similarly, getting a unit too big for your house will reduce its efficiency as its powers are wasted. The key is to buy the right air conditioner size depending on the size of your home and your cooling needs.
Use Solar Panels
Solar panels provide a renewable source of energy for homes and other buildings. They can be expensive to install, but the benefit comes from reduced energy bills and the knowledge that you are contributing to a greener world. For example, when you use solar panels to power your air conditioner, it improves its efficiency and reduces the chance of repairing the unit often.
Plant Trees
Trees provide shades, and these shades help keep the heat of sunlight away from your home. Planting a few trees on your property will reduce the temperature such that your air conditioner will have less work to do to cool your home. Planting trees will also improve the air quality in your home.
Good air quality is beneficial for your family’s health, especially if you have people with asthma or allergies around the house.
Turn off AC When Not in Use
This is the final point, and it cannot be overemphasized. Many people still forget to turn off the air conditioner when it is not in use and doing this habitually causes a strain on the unit. Remember to turn off the AC when you leave the house or invest in a programmable thermostat.
Call Us Today in Boca Raton, FL!
In this post, we have tried to cover every possible way to limit the cost of an air conditioner repair. The most important thing to know is that taking proper care of your AC unit as a preventive measure will greatly limit repair. You should also reach out to experts around you, such as Erica’s Plumbing, Air Conditioning and Restoration, when you need help regarding your air conditioner.
