Your A/C Could Use a Little Help – Lighten Your A/C System’s Load

Whether you are installing a new A/C or tuning up your old workhorse for another summer, reduce the strain on your A/C system and pocketbook by using these tips to lighten your A/C system’s load. You will enjoy better cooling comfort, lower cooling bills.

Lighten Your A/C System’s Load

The cooling load placed on the A/C is the amount of heat gain a building (e.g. your home) is subjected. For instance, if a building was perfectly sealed and insulated against heat gain, the A/C could run one cooling cycle and that would be it, other than heat gain through the opening of doors. In reality, most homes suffer multiple and constant heat gain issues from air leaks around windows, doors, attic hatch and building apertures.

Moreover, inefficient airflow through the home, window heat gain and insulation deficiencies add to the cooling load and energy bills. The solution is to lighten your A/C system’s load through practical means of air sealing, boosting insulation and system care:

• Air sealing is a process involving locating air leaks and sealing them with caulk, weatherstripping and other measures, which happen to be both relatively inexpensive and long lasting.
• Insulation deficiencies allow excessive heat gain from the roof and hot attic, inefficient windows and lack of coverings, and heat gain through under-insulated walls. A thermographic scan from your HVAC contractor reveals specific heat gain/loss issues through the home shell, which makes adding insulation more precise and effective.
• A/C maintenance is important to keep components in good working order, which reduces stress on the system, prevents early failure and reduces repairs. The simplest care you can show your A/C is changing the air filter regularly.

A dirty and clogged filter makes the blower work harder, causing extra wear and using substantially more electricity than a blower operating under normal pressure drops (airflow resistance). To get the specifics about how to lighten your A/C system’s load, please contact us at Sobieski Services.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).