If you have a large home in the Joliet area, then you want to keep your home cool as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible, right? After all, not only is there high heat to tackle in our area but humidity as well. This can make for a very uncomfortable environment, without the right air conditioning system in place.
And even if you do have the right system in place, you want to make sure you’re using it well. We mean, using it in a way that doesn’t necessarily waste energy and leave you spending way more than you should have to. Read on as we uncover some AC tips for 2-story households.
Upgrade Your Portable Systems
Are you still using portable air conditioners in your home? You have likely found that you have to pay a lot in order to use them. Still, though, they can be quite effective! At least, that is until your budget allows you to have a central air conditioner installed. At this point, it’s definitely worth it to upgrade.
Let’s say your budget isn’t quite there yet, however. Is there a way you can use your portable or window AC systems more efficiently? Yes! There is! Do you have a guest room in your home or some other room that doesn’t get used as often as the rest of the house? Close the door to that room and don’t use that particular portable system when you don’t need it!
Alternatively, if you don’t have a lot of square footage in your home, you might even think about only using one portable system for the whole upstairs area rather than one in every bedroom upstairs, if practical. This of course depends on your home’s layout!
Upgrade Your Thermostat
Even upgrading from a basic thermostat to a programmable thermostat can make a huge difference in your energy use. Older, manual thermostats aren’t that accurate when it comes to temperature settings. This means you may end up forcing the air conditioner to run longer than you actually should need it to in order to keep your home cool.
Smart and Wi-Fi thermostats are able to learn from your cooling and heating habits and adjust accordingly, enabling efficient HVAC use.
Ventilate Your Attic
We all learned very early on that heat rises, right? This means, if you have a 2-story home, heat will get trapped upstairs unless it has somewhere else to go.
At the very least, it’s a good idea to consider having your attic ventilated. Without proper ventilation, your roof’s temperature can double what the outdoor temperatures are. With nowhere to go, that heat will just stay in your home–no matter how low you set your thermostat or how much you use your air conditioner.
You might even want to take it up a notch with the installation of an attic fan. This helps pull excess heat up and out of your home so that your air conditioner can do its job to the best of its ability, while effectively lowering your cooling bills.
For expert HVAC service in Joliet, IL, contact Comfort First Heating and Cooling, Inc. today!