Common Air Conditioning Myths That May Be Costing You Money

HVAC systems are more complex than most other kinds of home appliances and systems. This is probably why myths about them persist to this day. Many of them are harmless, but some can end up costing you money. In today’s post, local HVAC installation company ACS Air Conditioning Systems shares some of these not-so-harmless air conditioning myths.

MYTH: Fans are for cooling rooms.

FACT: Air conditioners are equipped with fans which create airflow that allows cool air to circulate within a room. Contrary to what some people believe, the increased airflow isn’t intended to cool the room; it’s for cooling you, the room’s occupant. When cool air flows over your skin, it takes away excess heat more efficiently than air that’s not moving. With more airflow, you can turn the thermostat up a few degrees and save on energy. For even more savings, turn the fan off when no one’s in the room.

MYTH: The bigger the air conditioner, the cooler your house will be.

FACT: Bigger is better for many things, but air conditioners are not among them. An air conditioner should be properly sized for the house it’s in. If your air conditioner is too small, you’ll end up keeping the thermostat at its lowest setting— which means overworking the HVAC system — just to fulfill your basic cooling needs. In addition to higher energy consumption, you’ll be spending more on frequent HVAC service calls.

Conversely, if your air conditioner is too big, it will turn itself off and on too often because it will be fulfilling your home’s cooling requirements too quickly. The frequent stop-starts will also consume more energy and result in poor dehumidification. This is why certified HVAC technicians won’t make recommendations on specific HVAC units until they’ve measured the house’s floor area. If you’ve made significant changes to your house such as a home addition or attic conversion, you need to have your HVAC technician check if the air conditioner is still properly sized.

MYTH: Turning off the air conditioner when you leave the house will save you money.

FACT: It’s true that turning off your air conditioner stops it from consuming more energy. However, turning it back again, and doing this frequently, consumes a lot more energy than simply keeping the air conditioner running. This is because of two things: First, the energy surges every time you turn on your AC. Second, the air conditioner has to bring the room or home’s temperature back down, which means it will be running at full capacity for a much longer period of time. If you have a set routine, a programmable thermostat can be set to turn up the temperature about 10 degrees during certain hours of the day when you’re not home and turn it back down at night.

Call ACS for Your Air Conditioning Needs

ACS Air Conditioning Systems is your leading provider of HVAC repairs and installation services. Give us a call at (925) 264-8040. You can also fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.