It's Not Too Early To Start Thinking About Next Year: How To Help Your AC Keep You Cool

Summer may be just about over, but it will be back again next year. When it does, you'll want to be ready to make your home more energy efficient and reduce the wear and tear on your air conditioner. In addition to starting next summer with a tune-up for your air conditioner, here are three steps you can take to keep your home cooler.

Give Your Air Conditioner a Break

If you're like most people, you probably keep your air conditioner going 24/7 throughout the summer. You might have heard that it saves money to keep your air conditioner blowing at full blast, rather than to turn it off while you're away from the house. Unfortunately, that's not actually the case. In fact, the opposite is actually true. Leaving your air conditioner running 24/7 is a great way to cause a dramatic increase in your electric bill. It's also a great way to wear your air conditioner out faster than it should.

To keep your home energy efficient, and to save your air conditioner from premature wear and tear, give it a break while you're away from the house. That way, if your home gets too hot at night while you're trying to sleep, you can feel good about leaving your air conditioner on, especially since you had it turned off all day long.

Get a Breeze Going in Your Home

If you've been told that it's a bad idea to open the windows when the air conditioner is on, that's not entirely correct. Actually, it's a good idea to open one or two windows, just a crack, whenever you're running your air conditioner. Opening two windows on the opposite sides of the house will help keep the cool air circulating. Don't open them too wide though, or you'll defeat the purpose.

Turn Your Yard Into an Oasis

If you've got mature trees growing in your yard, you've taken the first step towards keeping your home cool next summer. However, there's still more that you could do to get your landscaping involved in the cooling process. Now's the time to plant shrubbery around the perimeter of your home. The mature shrubbery will help absorb some of the heat so that your home will stay cooler next summer.

Don't get stuck in a hothouse next year. Use the steps described above to help your air conditioner keep you cool next summer. For more information, contact your local air conditioning repair and installation service.