Summertime Tips to Keep your Home Minty Cool and your HVAC Happy this Season

Your home is your palace. A place of refuge and relaxation after a long day’s work and a place where you and your family can enjoy each other’s company. But when summer rolls around in Florida things can really heat up fast, putting additional strain on even the most robust and well-equipped HVAC system.

We can’t change the weather, but what we can do is provided you with expert tips and guidance on keeping your home fresh and cool this summer season, reducing energy expenditure and improving the efficiency of your central air system.

Not only will these tips help you keep your home comfortable during the sweltering heat of the day, they can also reduce utility bills and keep your HVAC system running like new…meaning it will last longer before needing repairs or replacement.

But First, a Little Refresher on your HVAC System

For those not quite sure what your HVAC is or does, this acronym simply stands for “heating, ventilation and air conditioning.” These systems, a feat of engineering at its best, are also often referred to simply as “central air”. This system, powered (usually) by a main unit, acts to both heat and cool your home on demand throughout the seasons, working tirelessly to ensure you and your family stay comfortable all year round.

Tips to Keep Your Home Cool this Summer

Spring is quickly coming to an end, with blistering summer months just around the corner. Follow these tips to help keep your home comfortable this season.

1. Install a Smart (or at least a newer) Thermostat

Old thermostats might get the job done, but they are largely inefficient and might be costing you big. One of the simplest and cheapest ways to increase the energy efficiency of your HVAC unit is to make the upgrade to a new smart thermostat.

These devices can intelligently control your system, learning about your activity and preferences, as well as fluctuations in the water and temperature throughout the day and night to find the settings that keep you the most comfortable while using the least amount of energy.

But don’t take our word for it, even the United States Department of Energy has weighed in, saying that an efficiently controlled thermostat has the capability to save home or business owners upwards of 10% on heating and cooling costs.

2. Two Words: Air. Filter.

One of the cheapest and easiest ways to keep your HVAC running at optimal levels is to change your air filter regularly. The majority of HVAC systems employ a single paper filter that is positioned between the vent and the system’s primary intake. This filter was designed with one purpose in mind: trapping airborne particles, dirt, dust and grime. As a result, air flows smoothly through the system with less resistance, requiring less power.

3. Open Things Up

You don’t have to be a science major to understand that resistance of any kind will slow the flow of wind, or in this case, the cool air pumped out through your HVAC ducts and vents into the rooms of your home or office.

Tips:

Make sure all vents are completely open
Remove any obstructions from the front of vents
Open the doors of all rooms in which you wish to circulate cool air
Close off those rooms in which keeping cold is not a concern

4. Valves can Put a Real Damper on Things

In some cases, ductwork is outfitted with “air dampers” or valves. These valves can be employed to control airflow through or to rooms in your home or even to specific floors. However, unlike “registers” and “vents”, these dampers are NOT visible or identifiable by grilles on your floor or ceiling. Dampers are usually hidden away inside the ductwork itself. If you notice any knobs or handles on your ductwork, try rotating them to open or close the valve and measure airflow by feel to see if it improves.

5. Consider Employing Fans

Fans aren’t only a great way to stay cool in the summer, they can also help reduce stress on your HVAC system by more effectively circulating cool air around your home.

6. Cooling Pillows, Sheets and Bedding

New advances in “cool thread” technology have produced bedding, pillows and sheets that more effectively breathe and keep you cool during those hot summer nights.

7. Window Treatments

While lesser thought of, windows play a key role in the temperature modulation of any building, and apart from doors represent the single greatest source of air leaks in and out of your home or office. A fresh coat of caulk around the seams and shoring up of any spaces or cracks (no matter how small) can make a big difference. Further, consider utilizing light colored blinds and curtains that don’t draw as much heat from the sun, and keeping them up and closed during the hottest periods of the day.

8. Cook Outside

Cooking is the single greatest source of heat from within the walls of your home. Consider cooking outside and utilizing the grill or other devices. If you must cook inside, employ a fan directed to suck out heat from your stovetop to the outside of your home.

Get your HVAC Tuned up by a Professional!

This one is big and in bold because it’s one of the most important things you can do, not only for making sure you keep cool in the summer but also to: