While home cooling and heating account for up to 20% of the home energy bills, you don’t have to spend large amounts of money all the time. If you suddenly notice a sharp increase in your home cooling bill, it means that you have problems that you need to fix.
You can fix the problem on your own or hire HVAC contractors to help you out. Here are some of the reasons why your energy bill might be high:
You don’t take good care of your air conditioner
Just like your car or any other unit, there is no way your air conditioner will function optimally if it’s in poor shape. For the unit to continue functioning optimally, you need to take good care of it.
This calls for you to regularly hire an AC tune-up professional to inspect it and fix any issues it might be having. The expert should examine all the areas from the outdoor unit, thermostat, to air filters. For ideal results, hire an experienced professional to tune up the appliance at least once a year.
You are allowing air out of the house
When you have cool air, you need to keep it in the house to stop the air conditioner from working. If the power bill is too high, the chances are that there are areas where the air is getting lost. The cool thing is that it’s easy to diagnose this problem.
One of the areas to take a look at is the weather stripping. The weather stripping is a plastic material that is usually flexible and found around the windows and doors. Due to improper installation or old age, it detaches from the doors and windows. It also tends to dry and crack thus losing its effectiveness. You should inspect it and if it’s in bad shape, replace it.
You also need to take a look at the attic insulation. It’s usually difficult to get to the attic; therefore, you should hire a professional to help you instead.
The thermostat is improperly set
Due to the regular setting and resetting of the thermostat, it’s common for it to develop setting problems. Since it’s the one that directs the air conditioner to work, it might lead it to work when it’s not supposed to, resulting in a high energy bill. To fix this problem, hire an AC repair professional to give it a look.
