Ready to go green with home energy efficiency? If you’ve just purchased a new air conditioner (or are in the market for a new AC) you probably based part of your decision on its Seasonal Energy-Efficiency Ratio (SEER). You selected a unit with a SEER number between 13-18 — the higher number, the most energy-efficient. But there’s more to your AC system than just the unit and its SEER number.
Achieving Energy Efficiency with Your Air Conditioning System
Here’s what to look for in an energy efficient air conditioner:
Ductwork
You can have the most energy efficient air conditioner in the world, but if that cold air doesn’t reach you, it’s not doing anything for you. When the technician is installing your new unit have him/her take a look at the ductwork to ensure it’s intact and the seams are properly fitted, wrapped, and insulated. After the unit is installed, have the ductwork cleaned. You might as well feel the full effect of your cooling efforts and ensure your unit is running in optimal conditions from the start.
Vents
Another part of the air delivery system is your vents. These should be clean and unblocked. Remove all furniture or rugs in front of them. Vents should be properly sized for the room and can be located on the floor, wall, or ceiling. These handy guys ensure good airflow in the room. Make sure all dampers are open for maximum air delivery to all rooms. For vents that are located near windows or other sources of heat, you can buy deflectors to refocus the airflow so that the cool air circulates more effectively.
The vent size should reflect the room size, so if all of your vents are identical throughout the house, you may have an inefficiency problem.
Vent Location
In Florida, since we use our ACs more than our heat, your vents are going to, primarily, pump out cold air. Since cold air tends to be heavier than warm air and warm air rises, vents on the ceiling are the most effective for this climate.
Unit Size
Size does matter and, in this case, bigger isn’t always better. A unit that is too large for your home will run inefficiently, turn on and off frequently, and fail to reduce your electric costs like you were probably expecting it would. However, don’t go out and buy the smallest unit either. Too small a unit won’t be able to keep up with the demands of cooling your home.
Finding the ideal size is best left up to a professional air conditioning contractor, salesman, or technician. S/he will use a calculation based on things like:
- window dimensions
- exposure/direction of the house in relation to the path of the sun
- square footage
- climate
- insulation
If you’re in the market for a new unit and would like to ensure your whole AC system is running more efficiently, contact the experts at Easy A/C to set up an appointment today. We’re comfort made easy, and here to provide help with all of your AC questions.