In Florida, air conditioning is more than a luxury; it’s a health and wellness necessity. During hot summers, the ability to retreat to a cool building is critical for you to avoid heat stroke, exhaustion, and other health issues. At the same time, keeping your building cool under such sweltering conditions can be both financially and environmentally costly. The following tips will help you to condition your home with minimal energy, reducing your expenses and ecological footprint while still enjoying all the benefits of air conditioning:
- Match Speed and Moisture
One of the simplest ways to save energy is to set the speed of your air conditioner fan in accordance with the amount of humidity in the air. Whereas it makes sense to put the fan on high speed during the days that are dry and hot, when it is humid, you are better off setting the fan to a low speed. Slow circulation causes the air to lose more moisture as it passes through your home. As a result, you can simultaneously use less energy and make yourself more comfortable under some of the most unpleasant weather conditions.
- Wash with Cool Water
As refreshing as a warm shower may feel, it makes it harder to beat the heat on several fronts. Washing yourself with warm water will raise your body temperature, causing you to feel overheated even if the air conditioning is already at a low setting. Moreover, pumping hot water through your pipes radiates heat throughout the building. This forces the air conditioning unit to work harder to keep your home at the temperature you have set. By opting for cooler showers, you reduce both of these problems at once.
- Strategically Use Fans
Though fans do not affect the actual temperature, they can make you feel cooler. The other bonus to using a fan is that it uses only a fraction of the energy of an AC. You should thus station fans near your bed, kitchen, home office, and other strategic locations. When you feel hot, turn them on rather than lowering the setting on the AC. Just make sure to turn them off when you leave the room; since fans don’t actually cool the room, there is no benefit to leaving them running when no one is in front of them.
- Enhance Your Equipment
Like most technologies, air conditioning becomes more efficient each year. This means that simply replacing an old air conditioning unit with a new one can dramatically lower the cost of climate control, all while cooling your home more reliably and effectively. For best results, find an AC unit that has been certified by the Energy Star program.
Snyder Air Conditioning, Plumbing & Electric offers the most advanced air conditioning units available, along with comprehensive installation and maintenance service. We strive to maximize efficiency and minimize your energy use, helping save both your money and the planet. For more information, visit our website today or call us at (888) 476-2691.
