Air conditioning can be a matter of both safety and comfort during the most intense parts of summer in Arden, NC. However, the costs to keep your home cool can quickly match the discomfort of the season. Here are five signs you’re paying more than necessary to run your air conditioning.
1. Your House Is Still Humid
As your air conditioning runs, it not only cools the air, but it should help remove some of the humidity. Continued high humidity levels while your AC runs indicate a problem with the system. Inefficiency is the primary driver behind climbing utility costs.
2. Your System Runs Constantly
Unless your AC has a variable-speed compressor, the system should regularly cycle on and off. Longer run cycles consume more energy and indicate the system isn’t cooling your air as it should.
A system constantly running not only increases your utility costs but also increases the operational strain on your system. If left untended, longer run cycles will lead to preventable AC repairs.
3. Temperatures Fluctuate Throughout Your Home
Air circulates through your entire home, even when you close vents in some rooms. Significant temperature variations throughout your house increase your system’s cycle length. This happens because the warm air continues to circulate back to the cooler areas of your home.
4. Your System Is Old
As an air conditioner ages, it becomes less efficient, leading to lengthening cycles. The average service life of a central air conditioner is 10 to 15 years with proper maintenance. Systems approaching the end of their service life have exponentially growing energy consumption.
5. Forgotten HVAC Maintenance
Routine maintenance is essential for keeping your system running efficiently and keeping both utility and repair costs down. If you haven’t had a tune-up this year, you’ll pay more to run your system due to correctable inefficiencies.
Don’t get caught paying more to cool your home this summer. Call Mountain Air Mechanical Contractors to schedule your HVAC maintenance visit today.