Saving money feels good—but so does walking into a crisp and cool room when it’s 100 degrees outside. Heating and cooling our living spaces is a creature comfort most of us can’t live without. The average house spends $2,500 a year on energy bills—with about 44% just for AC and heating. With rising prices across the board, from avocados to a tank of gas, it has never been more important to think of new ways to cutback.
Since we’re the AC experts, we took it upon ourselves to find 5 steps to help you stay comfortable and save cash. Only 1 in 5 people actually do this stuff, so you’ll earn points if you share this info with your friends.
How Often Your Air Conditioner is Maintained Will Impact Your Wallet
1) Keep a Steady Temp – $180 a year
If you buy a programmable thermostat all you have to do is find the perfect temperature, set the thermostat, and then let the savings begin. Just think of it like a car. You use more gas when you accelerate from 0 to 60 than when you hit the cruise control and coast at an even 60.
2) Dirty coil = 30% increase
Probably, you’ve never thought about the coil in your AC unit before. But here’s a good reason why you should. A dirty coil can increase your bill by 30%! With a clean coil your unit doesn’t have to run as long and your unit will last longer. Just make it a point to clean your coil. Your wallet will thank you.
3) Old Filter Syndrome – save 5%
A dirty air filter is not only gross, but it’s expensive too. Take your last energy bill, do some math, and see how much a 5% savings would be. Then multiply that by 12. Now think about what you can buy with all that extra cash! Changing or cleaning your filter is totally worth it. Your unit won’t have to work as hard, and your lungs will breath in air that didn’t pass through a blanket of dust. Yuck.
4) Friction Is Expensive – save 5%
The only way to stop friction from taking your money is to keep the parts in your unit lubricated. Lube will keep the motors running smooth and keep your equipment from wearing down and out like an old pair of shoes. This will cut down your energy bill by about 5% each month, and save you money from extra repairs or part replacements.
4) Get an Annual Tune-Up
Maintenance for your AC unit is like botox for your face. It prevents the natural aging process. Normally, units only lasts about 15 years. Every year your unit will lose 5% efficiency compared to the year before. You can prevent this slow decline just by getting a tune-up once a year. The cost of regular maintenance will pay off in the end. You’ll get some extra cash and enjoy piece of mind that your unit won’t stop working unexpectedly. Maintenance can help your unit last for decades! Check out the Air Conditioning Maintenance NYC page and give your unit a little love.
