Did you know that you should have your air conditioner professionally inspected and cleaned at least once a year? If you fail to do this, your AC could lose up to 5 percent of its operating efficiency each year.
While professional maintenance is essential, there are also plenty of things you can do on your own in-between appointments to keep your air conditioner running at optimum efficiency. Keep your energy bill lower and prolong the life of your system with these tips.
Change Your Air Filter
The filter in your air conditioner is what removes dust, allergens, and other small particles from the conditioned air. Over time, this filter can become clogged with this debris, making your system work harder and harder to push air through.
Because of this, it’s a good idea to replace your AC’s air filter at least every two months. Every month is ideal if you use the air conditioner frequently.
Best of all — when you take out a used, clogged filter and add a clean one to your system, you can expect to reduce your air conditioner’s energy consumption by as much as 15 percent.
Clean Your Coils
Your air conditioner has two kinds of coils: an evaporator coil and a condenser coil. Over time, the evaporator coil can become quite dirty, especially if you aren’t changing your air filter regularly. Try to give this a good wipe down at least once a year to keep things running smoothly.
Your condenser coil, on the other hand, is part of the outdoor unit. It’s easy for leaves, dirt, and grass clippings to block the area around the coil, clogging the flow of air. To prevent this, keep surrounding foliage trimmed, check the unit regularly for debris, and always clean up grass clippings after mowing the lawn.
Straighten Your Fins
The outdoor condenser unit has what is called fins on the outer case. These are aluminum strips that protect the inside of the unit. These can often get bent, restricting the flow of air. Luckily, it’s easy to get them back into the right shape with a fin comb.
All you have to do is run the comb down the coil fins, and they should straighten back up into alignment.
These are just a few simple tips, but they can have a drastic effect on your AC system’s efficiency. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a big drop in your energy bill after performing these routine maintenance tasks.
Works Cited
Hicks, Angie. “How Often Does an Air Conditioner Need Service?” Angie’s List. 18 June 2015: https://www.angieslist.com/articles/how-often-does-air-conditioner-need-service.htm.
“Maintaining Your Air Conditioner.” Energy.gov. Accessed 20 March 2019: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/maintaining-your-air-conditioner.
