Don’t Make These 3 Vermont Air Conditioning Mistakes This Summer

It’s the middle of the summer here in Vermont, and we’re really starting to feel the heat. All homeowners want to keep their homes as comfortable as possible, but sometimes that can lead to unwise decisions when it comes to operating air conditioners. These common Vermont air conditioning mistakes are things that homeowners regularly overlook, but are actually very easy to avoid. Don’t make the same mistakes, and you’ll help your system run at peak efficiency while saving on your utility bills.

1. Letting the AC Run While You’re Gone

It’s understandable that you want your home to be cool and comfortable, especially during the peak of the summer heat, and for some people that means letting their air conditioners run constantly. But running your AC even when no one is home can put undue stress on the system, not to mention raise your utility bills.

Most air conditioners need only a few minutes to cool your home back down to a desirable temperature, so raise the thermostat when you leave for the day and lower it when you return. You can also invest in a programmable thermostat if you want your house to already be cool when you arrive. Shutting your AC off while you’re gone may not seem like a big energy savings, but you’ll see results in the cumulative impact on your monthly utility bills.

2. Setting Your Thermostat to an Unreasonably Low Temperature

Another common misconception is that your house will cool down faster if you set the thermostat lower, but that’s not true. Again, by doing this you’re simply putting pressure on the system and wasting energy, since chances are good that the temperature will drop far past what you would actually like it to be. A best practice is to set the thermostat to the highest temperature at which you’re comfortable. The system will shut off on its own without using any unnecessary energy, and your house will be at the perfect temperature.

3. Letting In Outside Air

In an attempt to get cool faster, people often turn on their AC and then open their windows or doors in an attempt to coax in a breeze. But this reduces the operating efficiency of your system makes it harder to deliver the comfortable temperature you’re looking for since it makes it harder to remove the humidity from the air.

As an alternative, try using ceiling fans. Even though many people consider air conditioning as a substitute for fans, ceiling fans actually help ACs do their job better. Fans move air around the room, helping to circulate the cooled air. Fans also help create and maintain a perception of being cooler because of the “wind chill” effect they produce, so that even if the room isn’t technically cooler, you feel like it is.

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