A dirty air conditioner unit sitting outside of the house.

Not Ready to Replace the A/C? Improve the Efficiency of Your Current Equipment

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Even if you’re not ready for an A/C upgrade, you can still reduce energy consumption and operating costs by improving the efficiency of your current equipment. Having the A/C professionally inspected, cleaned and tuned up at the beginning of each cooling season will have a big impact on how much you spend on energy, especially when the following efficiency-enhancing tasks are included:

  • Checking the refrigerant level. If it’s too low, recharging it to the correct level can increase the A/C’s energy efficiency by up to 20 percent. Like most of these steps, this should be left to a professional technician.
  • Measuring the rate of airflow across the cooling coil. Making an adjustment to correct an inaccurate airflow rate can improve A/C efficiency by 5-10 percent.
  • Cleaning the condenser coil to remove caked-on dirt. Operating the cooling system with a clean coil can lower your seasonal energy consumption by as much as 30 percent.
  • Inspecting the HVAC ductwork. Your technician may recommend sealing and insulating to prevent conditioned air and energy losses, which can improve the system’s cooling efficiency by 10-15 percent.

Additional Efficiency-Boosting Measures You Can Take

There are other steps you can take on your own to improve efficiency and slash cooling costs:

  • Always keep windows and exterior doors closed when the A/C is running.
  • Add a programmable thermostat to save energy at night and whenever the house isn’t occupied. Scheduling 7-10 degree temperature increases for at least eight-hour periods will bring the biggest benefit.
  • Have vented bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans installed and use them to remove moisture-laden air from bathing, showering and cooking areas.
  • Use ceiling fans to boost comfort efficiently so you can turn up the thermostat. Each one-degree increase can reduce your seasonal energy consumption and costs by 3 to 5 percent.
  • Install a zoning system to customize cooling in different rooms of your home based on occupancy and frequency of use.
  • Clean or replace the HVAC air filter when dirt and dust start to accumulate. Check it once a month to keep the system operating efficiently.