Reduce Your Home’s Cooling Load to Reap Multiple Benefits

Have you been paying high electric bills this summer to keep your home cool? (Hey — haven’t we all?) Has your home’s AC system struggled to keep your home comfortable on hot days throughout the summer? Hoping to avoid high electric bills, have you just decided to turn up the thermostat a few degrees and tolerate a warmer house in order to save money? (Which isn’t actually a terrible idea … but it isn’t your only option.)

If any of these questions applies to your home in the summer, you should consider taking steps to lower the “cooling load” in your home. The cooling load is the amount of energy that’s required for your cooling system (either air conditioner or heat pump) to bring your home to a comfortable temperature. There are a number of steps that you can take to reduce that load, and thereby 1) ease the workload on your HVAC equipment, forestalling breakdowns and extending service life; 2) increase energy efficiency; and 3) pay lower energy bills. And most of these tasks are things you can do yourself, for free!

The bonus when you lower the cooling load in your home is that you are also likely to lower the heating load during the winter months, bringing about similar positive results in the other half of the year.

Reduce Drafts and Air Leaks

• Seal the outer perimeter of your home with caulk, weatherstripping and/or spray foam, depending on the size, location and type of cracks and gaps in the walls and foundation. Seal the attic floor and attic hatch, as well. Finally, seal any leaks in your home’s ductwork.Wherever air can move from the outside of your house to the inside (or vice versa) you’re paying to heat or cool air that isn’t actually helping to make the temperature in your home more comfortable.
• Upgrade insulation in your home, so less heat escapes during the winter and less heat infiltrates in the summer. Both air sealing and insulation will go a long way toward reducing your home’s cooling and heating loads.
• Replace old, inefficient windows. Many window products are on the market now that offer maximum protection against the transfer of heat through windows. This has a positive outcome in both summer and winter. If you live in an older house with the original windows, the protection they provide against the cold is likely not much better than a plastic sheet. Take care to seal the area between the frame and the wall, as well – this is another likely spot for air leakage into and out of your home.

Change Your Home’s Air Filter

• Inspect the AC or heat pump filter every month and change it when it looks dirty or clogged. A fresh home air filter will allow for smooth airflow in your home while improving indoor air quality. Your HVAC equipment has to work harder and expend more energy when a clogged filter is impeding airflow – if the flow is sufficiently blocked, it can even cause your HVAC equipment to shut down for safety. Talk with your HVAC service company about the right level of air filter for your HVAC equipment, home and family –spending a few extra dollars can get you a much better filter, but fancier isn’t always better, in this case. An overly high-level filter can become clogged very frequently, actually putting more load on your HVAC system.

Change Your Home Habits

• Use ceiling fans to add a cooling effect in occupied rooms. When blowing on a person, the fan doesn’t actually lower the temperature, but it does make the air feel cooler, which has the same effect. Then you can raise the temperature on the thermostat by a few degrees and not lose any comfort. This saves energy and lowers energy bills — just don’t forget to turn off the fan if nobody’s in the room.
• Get in the habit of closing window coverings (curtains, shades, drapes, etc.) against direct sunlight during the cooling season and do the opposite in the winter when you want solar heat to help make your home more comfortable. Make sure the thermostat isn’t located where it’s getting hit by direct sunlight, as this will make the thermostat give off incorrect readings to the rest of your HVAC system.
• Experiment with setting the thermostat a few degrees higher in the summertime. You might find that adapting to a 75-degree setting, as opposed to 70, isn’t that difficult. You’ll be impressed by the savings on your monthly electric bill. And a bonus will be easing the workload on your cooling system, resulting in lower costs and fewer AC repairs. Consider a programmable thermostat that might allow you to set the temperature in the house cooler at night and warmer during the day, or to program the system to run less during the day when everyone is out and to kick on an hour or so before you return home to a comfy home.

Your local HVAC company can be a wealth of good information on how to reduce the cooling load on your home’s heating and cooling system. They have experience in your area, so they know exactly what the local climate requires for HVAC systems where you live. Here in Cincinnati, Jansen Heating & Cooling is the HVAC partner you need to reduce your mental load when it comes to heating and cooling. We’re here to take care of any heating and cooling headaches, so you can focus on other things.