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DeHart Plumbing, Heating, and Air Inc. Blog

Why Your Cooling Costs Have Spiked and How We Can Help

air-conditioner-money-saver

At Greenhart, our motto is “Live Green, Save Green!” We’re more than a company offering standard service for air conditioners, heaters, insulation, and water heaters. We specialize in finding ways to help customers save money with equipment that also helps the environment thanks to high energy efficiency. We can help you solve problems you may have with inefficient home equipment performance.

And since it’s now officially summer, the time is right to address troubles with rising home cooling costs. You may not realize it, but the air conditioner in your house consumes more electricity than any other appliance (unless you have an electric water heater). The average AC uses 3,500 watts per hour to run. A clothes dryer uses 3,000 watts per hour and a ceiling fan a mere 100 watts. When you see your electricity bills start to go through the roof in summer, the likely culprit is the air conditioner. 

Let’s take a look at why those costs may be skyrocketing and what we can do to help.

Leaking air ducts

Damaged air ducts are common in homes, and even small leaks will have an impact on air conditioning performance. The loss of cool air through these gaps forces the AC to work harder, and the leaks also affect performance by causing air pressure in the ventilation system to drop.

How we can help: Duct sealing will solve this problem—and yes, you must have professionals for this job, because so-called “duct tape” won’t do it. You’ll need our technicians to first test the ducts, and after that we can locate the leaks and use special equipment to make the ventilation system airtight once more.

Faulty thermostat

When a thermostat malfunctions, it will cause the air conditioner to work erratically, running longer than it should and turning on and off frequently, which drains enormous amounts of power. Attempting to overcome these problems with different thermostat settings can only make the problem worse.

How we can help: Although a thermostat can be repaired, we recommend you take the opportunity to upgrade to a Wi-Fi smart thermostat. We can install a thermostat that will help regulate energy use automatically, finding ways to cut down on energy costs you might not have thought of while still keeping your house comfortable.

Old, inefficient AC equipment

You may simply have an outdated, energy-draining monster for an AC. It has probably always cost more to run than it should, and the recent increases in costs are because the air conditioner is too worn down with age. If your air conditioner is more than 15 years old, it is well past retirement age. 

How we can help: We’re experts at energy-efficient air conditioning equipment. Our team will help you examine the choices for a new AC that will perform better than your current one did even when it was shipped from the factory. If you think you need new air conditioning in Modesto, CA, or any of the other services we’ve discussed, reach out to us. We’ll find the solutions you need for savings and green living.

Rely on Greenhart: Live Green, Save Green!

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