Sunny Windows, Shady Trees and Other Non-Electrical Supports to HVAC

An AC unit can turn your home into a refuge from summer heat, but the high cost of running an AC unit can put a strain on your budget and maybe even prevent you from doing all the fun things you want to do. If you want to free up some money to go have some summer fun, then you should do whatever you can to boost the function of your AC unit.

Turn the Thermostat Up

Yep, you read that heading right, if you want to save money on cooling your home, you should turn your thermostat up. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having an AC unit in the first place?" you ask. Not necessarily. If you turn your thermostat up by ten degrees while you are away from your home during the day, you can decrease your annual cooling costs by up to 15%. If you have a programmable thermostat, you can program your AC to start cooling your home back down to your desired temperature before you get home, so you don't have to put up with high heat to enjoy some savings. 

Filter out UV Rays

UV rays can pass right through window glass, and once inside your home, they will start heating things up. To decrease heat gain, you don't have to wall off your windows or even hide behind thermal curtains. Instead, you just need to install window film. The reflective window film will filter out UV rays while still allowing some natural light to enter your home. In this way, window film can decrease your cooling costs. 

Plant Trees

Trees will cool the surrounding air through the process of evapotranspiration. Increasing the volume of cool air available to your condenser coils will help them to more efficiently condense refrigerant back to a liquid state so that it is ready to absorb heat from the air in your home. Trees will beautify your yard, they are good for the environment, they will help to keep your yard cool, and they will boost the function of your AC unit, so why not plant some trees in your yard? 

As you can see, high cooling costs are not an unchanging reality of life during the summer. Instead, homeowners can employ a number of strategies to improve the performance of their cooling system. If you want to have room in your budget to pay for some crazy summer fun, it is time to see what you can do to optimize your AC system. Contact a local HVAC contractor, like Nebraska Heating & Air, for help.