Obviously once the temperature outside your home begins to soar, so the temperature inside is going to rise, and your AC unit is going to start having to work overtime. Obviously, the greater strain your AC unit is under the more likely it will either break down, or require replacement, so anything you can do to prolong its life makes perfect sense. In addition to that, the less your AC unit has to work, the lower the running costs are going to be.

So, what can you do to help your AC system?

First, if you have an attic space, ventilate it. That may seem to be an odd thing to say when your AC unit doesn’t cool your attic, but that doesn’t mean to say that the temperature in your attic won’t affect the temperature in the rest of the house. It will.

How?

By heating up the ceilings in the rooms below the attic. It’s that simple. If you have a well-ventilated attic space that can be allowed to cool down will help tremendously when it comes to lowering the temperature in the rest of the house. When you think about it, because hot air rises, your attic space is always going to be the hottest place in your house in the simmer, so it makes sense to allow that hot air to escape.

Next, check your air ducts. The less air is able to flow freely through your air ducts, the less effective your AC unit will be, and the greater the pressure it will be put under. While one tiny catch in your air duct may not seem critical, that catch can attract fibers which, very quickly, will catch more fibers, and before you know it, you have a virtual total blockage of your ducting. Check your ducting at least once every two months and keep it as clean as possible so that you aren’t forcing dust and grime through it and blocking your air filter – which should also be regularly checked.

Finally, check the insulation in your roof space, especially in the summer. While we tend to associate insulation more with keeping heat in your home, in the summer, that same insulation can help to stop hot air in your roof space or attic from heating up the rooms below if there is a thick layer of insulation between the two.

If you want to prolong the life of your AC unit and also reduce its running costs, give us a call here at A&E Air Conditioning and Heating and we’ll be more than happy to come out and make sure that your whole AC system and insulation levels are fully optimized.