Let us start with the thermostat; it does not work like a gas petal. All a thermostat does is turn on and off your equipment based on the temperature it is set for – the set point temperature. Setting the temperature lower does not change a thing, if your equipment cannot get the temperature to your set point it will not get it lower. 

 

We like to think that our customers have reasonable expectations about what your air conditioning can and cannot do. When we do a load calculation to determine the proper size A/C to install in a home (by the way, there is NO rule of thumb to sizing an A/C. If I have one more person ask me what size A/C goes in a 1200 square foot home I will scream) we have the follow the laws for designing a system. The outdoor design temperature we have to use is 90° and the indoor temperature we have to use is 75°. If the outdoor temperature gets up to 100°, you’re a/C equipment is going to have a hard time getting the temperature in your home down to 75°. If you live in a two-story condo or house and only have one A/C system, you only have one thermostat. If you suffer from “Hotsie/Coldsie”, I am hot upstairs and cold downstairs there are some things you can do. You could install a second system, you can install a zone system or you can use a wireless thermostat that you can take with you.

 

About the easiest thing you can do to help your A/C in the summer is check your filter often. As filters load up they begin to restrict airflow across the indoor coil making the equipment work harder. That translates in more energy and bigger electric bills.

 

It is also a good idea to keep your coils clean for good heat transfer. If your outdoor coil is close to a dryer vent and both are working at the same time the lint will get sucked into the coil and start to plug it up. We also see a lot of damage caused by grass clippings, shrubbery to close and overhangs over the equipment.