Ah, efficiency. It’s one of the most important aspects of air conditioning, heating, and indoor air quality. Ever since energy prices started to rise and we’ve dealt with the effects of climate change, it became clear that energy is going to cost us. Every time you switch on a TV, and every time you turn on a light in your home, that consumes a certain amount of electricity that’s going to cost money paid to the utility company. The more energy you use, the more you pay for the electricity. And, as things are today, an air conditioner consumes the largest amount of electricity of any appliance in homes throughout Greenwich, Hainesport, and even Evesham.
In order to measure how effective your air conditioner is, or the condition it’s in, we need to talk about its efficiency. This blog is devoted to all things efficiency—what it is, why it’s important, and what you can do to improve your HVAC efficiency in Cumberland County.
What Is Energy Efficiency?
Energy efficiency is a term that we use for a lot of different things, but in the HVAC field, it means the amount of energy your system consumes to cool your home. The more energy it needs to use to do its job, the less energy efficient your air conditioner is. Likewise, if you’ve got a state-of-the-art AC system that uses a fraction of electricity to cool your home, then we would say that system is more energy-efficient.
To make things easier for consumers, HVAC systems are sold with efficiency ratings. Air conditioners have SEER ratings (seasonal energy efficiency rating) and heat pumps have HSPF ratings (heating seasonal performance factor), and these numbers are going to give you a scientific breakdown of how energy efficient a system is. The higher that number on your prospective system, the more energy-efficient it will be and the less you have to pay.
Why Energy Efficiency Matters
We briefly mentioned above that higher energy costs mean more monthly payments from you, but there’s a little more to this equation. Efficiency matters because it can be high even when you think you’re doing everything right. Human beings require a certain amount of energy to live comfortably in the 21st century, and a lot of people are trying to remove air conditioning altogether, not knowing that there is a good way to still stay cool and comfortable all summer long without paying exorbitant energy costs.
3 Steps to Improve Efficiency
Here are three ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency in just HVAC equipment alone.
- Insulation. Insulation stops cool air from leaking out during the summer. The longer your home stays cool, the less your AC has to work to cool things down.
- Best practices. We recommend changing your AC’s air filter every 1–3 months for maximum airflow and energy efficiency. Clean around the outdoor component and call for professional support when something goes wrong.
- Maintenance. Yearly maintenance will go a long way in keeping your AC energy efficient for the entirety of its lifespan. Schedule an appointment today!
It’s time to call Ambient Comfort to improve your home efficiency and comfort.