When the weather starts to get warm, you’ll probably find yourself using your air conditioning more often so you can keep your home comfortable. Simply relying on your air conditioner, however, can be an expensive proposition. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to help rein in your energy expenses when you need to cool down your home. Having your air conditioner serviced by a Seattle HVAC professional is a must for ensuring that your system is running as efficiently as possible—and that you aren’t wasting money. Here are some additional tips for saving energy in your home:

Use fans. Ceiling fans cost much less to operate than air conditioning, so they’re an excellent choice for keeping individual rooms cool. Make sure that your ceiling fans are spinning counterclockwise, which means that they’re blowing air down. Even a simple portable fan in your bedroom can help keep you cool while you’re asleep, reducing your need to run your air conditioning all night long.

Keep your windows open. Opening a window during the day can circulate a breeze inside your home and help you stay cool. This method works especially well during spring, when the weather is just warm enough to be comfortable. If you want to ensure that your indoor air stays clean, you can use a screen to filter out the pollen and other pollutants while still bringing in the fresh air.

Use a programmable thermostat. Think of all the times you’ve left your air conditioning running at full blast when nobody was home—or when everybody was asleep. Having a programmable thermostat fixes that problem by allowing you to put your air conditioning on a daily schedule, using it only as much as you need to. You can even adjust your programmable thermostat remotely, using your mobile device.

Maintaining good indoor air quality is essential for your health, and keeping your air ducts clean is key to ensuring that the air inside your house stays clean. Your HVAC system’s ducts are traps for numerous pollutants, including dust, pollen, mold spores, and even bacteria and viruses. If you’re concerned about your indoor air quality, you might consider scheduling professional duct cleaning at your Seattle home. An HVAC expert can thoroughly clean out your air ducts, ensuring that the air circulating through your home will be clean and safe for you to breathe. This is especially important if you or anybody else in your household suffers from allergies. In addition to improving your home air quality, having your ducts cleaned can help to make your HVAC system run more efficiently, which in turn can help to reduce your energy expenses. To keep your air ducts as clean as possible, you may want to have them professionally cleaned every few years.

Your air conditioning needs cleaning and a checkup from time to time in order to stay in excellent condition. Professional air conditioning maintenance is the perfect way to ensure that your HVAC system is ready for the summer. An experienced technician can provide you with the services you need to enjoy fully functional air conditioning during the warm months. If you’re wondering what you can expect during a routine air conditioning maintenance visit to your Seattle home, keep reading.

Checking the outside components. The first step of air conditioning maintenance is to inspect the outdoor unit. Its accuracy will be tested, its wiring will be checked, and any dirt or debris that has gathered will be removed.

Inspecting for mold. Mold growth can be a serious health hazard anywhere in your home, but it is particularly dangerous when it happens inside your air conditioning vents, where it can contaminate the air that you breathe. An HVAC technician can check to ensure that your system hasn’t become infiltrated by mold.

Changing the air filter. If your air conditioning has been running less efficiently than usual, it may be the result of a clogged filter. During your air conditioning maintenance, your HVAC technician will usually change out your old air filter for a new one.

Checking the thermostat. Checking your thermostat is another important part of routine maintenance. If your thermostat has lost calibration over time, your HVAC technician can recalibrate it in order to ensure that it provides you with accurate temperatures.

Inspecting the system components. Your HVAC technician will also take a look at the internal components of your central air conditioning system to ensure that they’re all working properly. This includes checking the condensate drain, any moving parts, and all electrical components.

Doing a safety check. Finally, a routine maintenance service will include a safety check to make sure that your air conditioning system is safe for you to use. If there is any rust in your system, for example, your technician will remove it.

Upgrading your air conditioner serving Seattle can be a great investment , and now might be the time to pull the trigger. Your heating and cooling appliances contribute to a bulk of your energy bills, and today’s units tend to be more efficient than older models. In addition to saving you money and reducing your carbon footprint, this will make your home more comfortable and more valuable. Keep reading for more on the reasons to make this the summer you get new air conditioning.

Save Energy and Money

The longer you wait to upgrade your air conditioner, the longer you’ll spend more than you have to on your energy bills. A new air conditioning installation will improve the efficiency of your home, so you can expect your energy bills to drop. If you care for your HVAC units and follow the right steps, you can even make your money back in savings over time. More efficient air conditioners require less energy, which also lessens your carbon footprint. If you’re looking for a way to go green and save some money at the same time, make this the summer you get a new air conditioner.

Stay Comfortable

Efficiency isn’t just about expending energy. Efficient heating and cooling units will also do a better job of keeping you comfortable in your home. A high quality air conditioner will cool down your living space evenly and thoroughly, and you’ll have plenty of control over the temperature. Older air conditioners tend to cool the house unevenly, do an inadequate job of keeping you comfortable, or simply fail to cool your air at all. You won’t have to worry about these issues when you upgrade to a new unit.

Make Your Home More Valuable

Even if you don’t know how long you’ll be staying at your current house, a new air conditioner still might be a worthwhile investment. A modern, high quality air conditioning system can increase the value of your home. This means you can raise your listing price, and it might be easier to find a buyer who is interested. Consider upgrading your air conditioner this summer.