The main purpose of insulation is to slow down the transfer of heat from one area of your home to another. Even through floors, ceilings, and walls, heat always flows from warmer areas to cooler ones. This means that during the winter season, and due to the cold exterior, the heat in our houses flows outside.
Similarly, during the summer season, heat from the outdoors transfers into our cooler interior. To remove this heat, during summer months we run the air conditioner, and in winter we run furnaces to maintain the heat in our homes. This is to ensure a desirable room temperature, but this also means higher energy bills!
Does your cooling and heating system run for hours without stopping and without any noticeable change?
If so, you should consider adding insulation to your house.
Heat moves from a warmer area into a colder area, but adding insulation to your home makes it difficult for heat to transfer, trapping it in the same place.
During the times when heating and cooling systems were not known or used commonly, our houses were built to automatically regulate indoor temperature. Thick insulation and strategically-placed windows were used as natural insulation. But in modern construction, our heating and cooling systems are now responsible for maintaining the temperature indoors.
In fact, they are the primary source of cooling as well as heating, making insulation a secondary concern. For instance, in many home constructions, builders purposefully cut costs by avoiding insulation.
Adding insulation is no longer a tedious process. In fact, the whole process to install takes less time than most people think. For instance, insulation in spray form can be installed in the attic, above existing insulation. This stops the cold from transferring through the roof. Similarly, some crawl spaces or the basement in your house can also be a source of heat loss. You can avoid this by adding some special insulation panels to the ceilings of all of these spaces.
Keeping the heat out of your home, especially when living in a dry, desert climate like California, can add a tremendous amount of stress to your air conditioner. It’s not the issue of whether you spare a few hours without air conditioning, but rather how does one keep up with the upkeep of an overworked air conditioner. Extreme heat means your air conditioner is running constantly to keep your house cooler, and the older the air conditioner, the faster it will wear down.
A good place to start is to make sure your air conditioner is working correctly. An air conditioning unit that’s constantly running in extreme heat generally means problems are more frequent to happen. Sometimes it’s difficult to find the culprit, however, and because of that, damaged air conditioners are left untreated until they break down. To avoid costly repairs, here are a few warning signs to look out for.
Over time, the filters inside the air conditioner collect dust, dirt, and allergens. Filters should be cleaned at least once a month, but because of the extreme heat, these filters collect dust and debris faster than normal. When the filter becomes clogged, the air conditioner has to work even harder to keep your house cool. Cleaning filters is one of the easiest and most effective ways to maintain your air conditioner.
If you find your air conditioner is leaking, there could be a serious problem. The air conditioner could be leaking refrigerant, which is a health hazard that requires a professional technician to repair your unit immediately. Water pooling adjacent to your air conditioner; however, could mean the drain tube that removes condensation is either blocked or broken. A damaged drain tube is not as serious of a problem but should be taken care of within a reasonable amount of time to avoid mold.
Squealing, grating, or grinding sounds imply something inside the unit needs to be replaced. A squealing sound could mean the belt slipped out of place or a metal component needs more lubrication. If you hear grinding, the unit’s motor bearings might be broken. If something smells foul, the wire insulation may have burned out. If something smells musty, there could be mold inside the air conditioner or ductwork.
For homeowners who live in extreme heat climates, it’s especially important to keep up with maintenance. Routinely cleaning and repairing your air conditioner not only extends the unit’s lifetime, it helps keep it running efficiently. Routine maintenance for your air conditioner isn’t the only method to keep your house cool, however, as habits and other appliances can impact the temperature inside your home as well. The good news is how much you can do to keep your house cool under extreme heat conditions.
Make sure to keep any appliances that emit heat away enough from your thermostat. A thermostat that senses heat generated from a lamp or TV nearby can result in your air conditioner running longer than necessary. An accurate thermostat will help keep everything running efficiently.
To maintain adequate airflow, it’s important to keep all plants and debris at least two to four feet away from the air conditioning unit. Building a fence around the air conditioner can help to keep shrubs, tree branches, and other bigger plants away.
Whether it’s inside or outside the house, it’s important to keep your air conditioner in a cool, shaded space, away from direct sunlight. Installing it on the shady side of your home, or using shrubs or a fence to provide shade, can help your air conditioner run more efficiently.
Open windows are an invitation for extra heat to come in, that’s why it’s beneficial to always close curtains that face the sun. Installing thermal liners in your curtains also helps to reflect some of that residual heat out the window. Windows with a residential tint film will help to cut off sunlight significantly.
A lot of activities, such as cooking, showers, and laundry, can generate heat. To keep your house cool, try cooking outside as much as possible. Avoid using the oven, and when using the dishwasher, let your dishes air dry versus using the dry cycle. Shorter showers with proper ventilation will also help keep the humidity down. If possible, hang dry your laundry outside or avoid using the dryer during peak daytime temperatures.
Good air circulation helps your air conditioner to run smoothly as well as keeping that cool air running through your home. Closing doors to unused rooms, closing closets, moving furniture, and using fans all help to keep a good airflow inside your home.
Nothing is more devastating or costly to a homeowner than having to live inside their home without a functioning air conditioner. Routine maintenance and energy-efficient habits are important to maintain your air conditioner, but it’s also crucial to have an HVAC contractor perform yearly maintenance. If there is ever something wrong with your air conditioner, a professional HVAC contractor can diagnose the problem. By providing you with the most effective solution, they can help keep your air conditioner running efficiently and longer.