The longer and harder your AC unit has to run, the more electricity it will use, and the more likely it is to break down. For example, your AC unit uses capacitors to provide an extra kick of energy to get your fan blades running. As the heat outside your home increases, starting your AC unit over and over to meet your home's cooling demands can strain the capacitor until it pops. Anything you can do to prevent your home from heating up in the first place will help to reduce the strain on your equipment and thus keep your cooling costs down.   

Change out Your filter on a Regular Basis

You might think that your filter only has an impact on the air quality in your home, but as your filter gets clogged, it will restrict the flow of air to your AC unit. Without the proper volume of air, your AC unit will struggle to keep your home cool. A dirty filter can decrease your efficiency by up to 15%. As importantly, without enough air flowing over your coils, they can begin to ice over, and when this happens, your AC fan will struggle to push any air to your home. Instead, your equipment will run endlessly, and can eventually break down. Thus, changing out your filter can have an important impact on the life of your equipment.   

Prevent Heat Gain

Solar heat gain occurs as energy from the sun transfers to the interior of your home. One key way that the sun heats your home occurs as its UV rays pass through the panes of glass that make up your window then heat the interior surfaces of your home. Installing double or even triple-pane windows will do little to nothing to decrease the transmission of these rays through the glass. On the other hand, you can buy energy-efficient window film that will reflect the sun's rays away from your home to keep your home cooler. In fact, window film can decrease your cooling costs by as much as 23%.

In order to prevent wear and tear to your cooling system, you should do whatever you can to optimize the function of your system. You should also take steps to reduce the need to run your system. The two strategies described above are small, inexpensive steps that any homeowner should be able to handle. On the other hand, they can have a big effect on increasing the life of your HVAC equipment. For further assistance, contact a local AC repair professional, such as one from Affordable Plumbing & Heat.

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