Homeowners and business owners are always looking for ways to use energy more efficiently with the aim of reducing their utility bills while minimizing their carbon footprint at the same time. However, along the way, certain ideas have surfaced about how people believe they ought to use their AC, versus how the AC actually operates. At Canoga Heating and Air Conditioning, formally MightyServ, we want to examine and debunk five commonly held home cooling myths many homeowners fall susceptible to so that they can understand the truth about their heating and cooling systems.
Air Conditioners Produce Fresh Air
Contrary to what many people believe, ACs do not let in, create, or generate fresh air. Rather, they refrigerate the air within a room. Air conditioning units have a chemical compound called refrigerant, housed within a closed system of coils. The air conditioner forces this refrigerant to evaporate and condense into a gas, and as this happens, it becomes colder. This chemical compound changes from liquid back to gas in a constant cycle through the condenser. While this is happening, a fan moves warm air from the room over the refrigerant–filled coils to cool it. The heat generated by the conversion process is then pushed outside by a fan and another set of condenser coils.
Setting A Lower Temperature On The AC Will Cool A Room Faster
With the exception of inverter air conditioners, conventional air conditioners only turn the compressor on or off. Therefore, even if one lowers the temperature on his/her air conditioner, the unit will not work any faster to reach one degree over the other. In fact, a lower set temperature will end up using more energy than a higher set temperature on the AC, and if one forgets to re–adjust it, the unit will cool too much and run less efficiently than it ought to. Essentially, the smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower the energy usage will be.
Setting Lower AC Temperatures Will Lower Humidity
ACs use energy at a rate based on relative humidity and outdoor temperature. However, the way air conditioner remotes are designed, often cause people to fixate on the power and temperature buttons alone when using other system modes can be more effective in achieving the desired indoor climate. Sometimes, it may be better to raise the AC temperature while engaging the Dry Mode, the function that is more efficient at extracting humidity.
There Is No Need To Check The AC Unless There Is A Problem
Many homeowners tend to forget that all heating and cooling appliances need regular maintenance. As long as their AC turns on and works, they think that everything is fine. However, even if an AC system appears to be running smoothly, one should remember that cooling systems need maintenance to run as efficiently as possible. Skipping on regular maintenance can turn out to be very expensive.
Keeping The AC Running All Day Is Better Than Switching It On And Off
Many homeowners believe that keeping the AC running all day at a certain temperature is better than turning it on at the end of the day. Everyone should understand that an air conditioner consumes less power when completely turned off. Therefore, homeowners should turn off their AC units when no one is home.
One of the best ways to improve a home’s energy efficiency is by installing insulation. Alternatively, homeowners can invest in heavy drapes to insulate their homes.
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