mike-clark-ufhs

Tips to Help You Start Saving On Energy Costs Immediately

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 20:40:05 GMT

Summer heat in Louisville can be overwhelming, but your electric bill doesn't have to be. Be sure and check the efficiency of your home and air conditioning unit to hopefully avoid paying high electric bills all season. Here are a few simple tips to lower your electricity cost this year:

Schedule Your AC Usage

The number one culprit when it comes to your electric bill is easily misusing your AC system. Keeping your thermostat set to the same temperature all day might seem like a good idea, but in practice, raising and lowering your thermostat's temperature can save a ton. If you leave for work every day, turn it up a bit. Even raising your temperature by 1 degree can result in a 5% efficiency bump, and you can always bring it back down when you get back home. Extra points if you get this all done automatically with a programmable thermostat!

Fans Are Your Friends

A fan's purpose if more to move and circulate the air around you than to actually cool the air, but this moving air can really make a room FEEL like it is cooling down. Try running a fan for a while and letting the AC have a bit of a break now and then.

Never Neglect Your Filters

Regularly changing your AC filters is one of the easiest and yet most important forms of maintenance you can perform for your home's AC system. A dirty or clogged AC filter will force a system to have to work harder to push air through your house, resulting n a higher bill at the end of the month.

Look Out For Phantom Energy Usage

You might be totally aware of it, but some of your small appliances in your home will draw power even when they aren't turned on. Look especially for appliances that have transformers on them, or those little black blocks you see at the end of the power cord. Unplug these items when you can, or for convenience, you can plug them into a power strip, and just flip the whole power strip off when these appliances aren't in use.

Check Your Older Appliances

Sometimes you can do everything right, and still end up paying too much at the end of the month simply because your appliances are older and inefficient. If a major appliances like an air conditioning unit is over 10 years old, there's a good chance it's just time to think about getting a new one. A newer, energy efficient unit can cut your energy costs by up to 50% in some cases.

There's no magic wand solution when it comes to making your home as energy efficient as possible, especially during hot summer months, but tips like these can go a long way towards helping maximize your home's energy efficiency.

Is it better to turn off your AC when you aren’t home, or should you run it all day?

Tue, 24 May 2022 16:05:37 GMT

A home’s HVAC system is generally uses more electricity than any other appliance, so it’s no surprise that people want to turn it off as often as possible to save a bit during hot summer months. This has led to a long running debate: Is it better to turn off the system or to leave it running all day?

The “Working Harder” Myth

The first thing it’s important to note is that contrary to a popular myth, your system does not “work harder” to catch up if you turn it off. A homes AC system runs at the same speed all the time, so the only thing that might happen is it runs for a little longer to cool your home down to a normal temperature after being off in the middle of the day. So this means if you leave it running all day, it will frequently turn on and off in shorter bursts to keep the home cool. If you turn it off on your way out of the door, and on when you get home, it will have been off for hours, and might run for longer to reach your home’s set normal temperature.

Does Turning off the AC Save Money?

As stated above, the only thing that changes if you turn your AC off when you leave and on when you get home, is it will run for longer during the period when you get home. This is important to keep in mind, as some energy providers do charge a premium for high usage times like 5pm – 11pm. If you have a provider with this pricing method, and you are turning on your system to run during a peak pricing time, you could be costing yourself money in the long run. However, if your energy provider had a flat rate, or if the peak time charges are not wildly expensive, in almost all cases it should save you money to turn off your AC when you are not at home. (Be sure and check your rate plan before assuming anything.)

Is Turning the AC Off Bad for My HVAC System?

AC system replacements can be pricey, so it makes sense that people would worry that running the system continuously will “burn out the motors” or any other number of issues people tend to worry about. Fortunately, unless you are literally running your AC system nonstop all day and night, you shouldn’t have to worry about this. Running an air conditioning system for a couple of hours in the evening to cool your home will not put enough strain on your system to cause any major issues. In fact, may experts believe operating your system this way in beneficial for the machine. Since it actually runs for less time overall, you will put less wear and tear on the system. As long as it is well maintained, your HVAC system should be at its most stable when running at full speed. The more common breakdowns happen during start up or shut off, since these processes require more smaller moving parts.

So Should I Definitely Turn Off My AC When I Leave?

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Yes, you may see some savings by turning off your HVAC system, but cooling isn’t the only thing that happens when you run your AC. Your system also will remove humidity from your home, so if you leave the system off for extended periods, your home will get very humid inside. Mold and mildew will be more likely to start growing. You may notice papers around the house have wrinkled or maybe wood is beginning to warp. Also, the heat resulting from leaving your AC system off can be bad for your plants and pets.

Finding Balance: Turn Up, Not Off

The smartest solution may be to invest in a programmable thermostat. Giving yourself the ability to automatically move the thermostat between 75 and 85 degrees in the middle of the day will allow you to still cool your home to a comfortable temperature quickly when you get home, and prevent your pets and home from any of the issues that may arise from turning the system all the way off. Raising the temperature of your thermostat by 1 degree results in a 5% efficiency increase, which can result in big savings at the end of the month.

Mike Clark Heating, Cooling & Refrigeration is here to help with any issues you may have with your HVAC system. Whether that is a maintenance plan to keep your system running at peak performance, a programmable thermostat to help you manage your system, or a full system replacement, we can handle any size project you can throw at us. Contact us today to schedule your service.

Welcome to Mike Clark Heating, Cooling & Refrigeration

Sun, 01 May 2022 16:05:37 GMT

Welcome! We are glad to have you here, and cannot wait to connect with you for all of your heating and cooling needs.

Keep an eye on this spot for tips on HVAC maintenance for your home. Our mission is always to keep you as informed and prepared as possible for whatever your home's heating or cooling systems can throw at you. If you should ever need help with an issue you are having, or want to schedule routine maintenance to try and avoid these issues, please don't hesitate to reach out to us and we will make sure you are all set for the seasons.

Thanks, and we cannot wait to hear from you.