Keep Your House Cool with Eco Friendly Air Conditioning

Is It Possible To Have Eco Friendly Air Conditioning?

Today I have a guest post from an air-conditioning company, GWAC.

We all wish that every day was perfect.  Light wind, sunny, low humidity, around 72 F (22 C) degrees. The fact is we generally aren’t that lucky. So how can you run an air conditioner and remain eco friendly?

These two things seem to be in conflict with each other but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way.

If you want to make yours an eco friendly air conditioner, here are the best 8 ways to minimize its carbon footprint.

1. Turn your air conditioner off or up when you leave your home.  Many people don’t want to come home from a long day at work to an uncomfortable home.   Consider how much energy is being used by the air conditioner while no one is benefitting from the usage.  (If you have pets inside the house then of course they should be considered – but remember they do sleep on the floor and it’s much cooler down there.  Plus, they are expert at finding all the cool spots in the house!).
2. Use a Programmable Thermostat (properly). It will automatically lower your air conditioning and heating when you don’t need it. (According to EnergyStar, raising the temperature 7 degrees F / 4 degrees C when no one’s home, and raising it 4 degrees F / 2 C at bedtime during the summer, along with proper programming in the winter, can save you more than $180 annually).
3. Maintain your air conditioner.  Often people neglect to maintain the air conditioner.  Your air conditioner should be cleaned at least once a year – or twice a year if you live in a place that has a lot of dust or rain.  This can be done yourself by purchasing the cleaner at a hardware store, or of course by a professional air conditioning company.  In addition to lessening the likelihood of a breakdown, the electricity usage will decline as well.  If you’re using a company, get them to give your unit a tune-up as well.
4. Remove obstructions.  Make certain the air conditioning unit is unobstructed on every side with at least 18 inches (500cm) clearance.  The a/c coil needs to be clean but it also needs to draw air evenly over it.  Avoid leaning anything on the air conditioner.
5. Keep a clear head.  Make certain there is nothing above the unit for eco friendly air conditioning.  The machine rejects heat through the top so an awning or tree could inhibit this.
6. Change your filter. The air conditioner has a filter that was first designed to keep the inside coil clean and later became more advanced for health purposes.  When this filter gets dirty it restricts the air flow as well as the efficiency of the system.  You don’t need to check this every day, but set yourself a schedule (such as once a month) to check / clean / change it.  If the filter isn’t dirty you may be able to get a little more use out of it.
7. Don’t buy a cheap filter.  When you see a sign that proclaims 10 for $1 don’t expect to get top of the line!   The eco-friendly way is to buy a filter that is washable. These filters stop more of the dust as a general rule, and you won’t be creating trash every month.
8. Be a little tougher. It’s nice to be ultra-comfortable but it comes at a cost.  Air conditioning companies and power companies recommend setting the thermostat to 78 F degrees (25 C). For every degree below this you are adding 3% to your power bill (6% in Celsius).  It may be too warm for you at first but you will get used to it, and you will save money with eco friendly air conditioning!

Related:  Keep your home cool without technology     Keep your home cool with natural air flow      Keep your home cool with natural shade     How to keep yourself cool

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