Remember that one annoying girl in school who would tell the same story over and over and over again. That is me. I am her. But in my case it is because every summer it gets hot in Sacramento and people somehow forget. Kind of like how we all forget how to drive in the rain. Weird, huh?
So here we meet again, on a hot June day… and I’m here with some advice on how to run your air conditioner for the best results. Ready? OK! ((insert cheerleader clap here))
On Extreme Heat Days:
Don’t leave a/c completely off!
-Set temp to 80 degrees when you leave in the morning so it can reach the temperature you want when you get home.
-Don’t set temperature really low, the a/c won’t cool any faster and it can do damage to the system.
-If it is 105 outside and it is 78 inside, the system is working just fine. It is physics. They hotter the outside air temp, the system just can’t keep up. Especially if your HVAC system is older.
-Design temperature is 78 degrees, so don’t try setting your a/c to the 60’s and expect it to cool, it won’t. It can’t! Again, physics.
-Make sure your filter is clean! Air conditioners can’t work efficiently if it is trying to pull air through a dirty/clogged filter.
Other ways to stay cool:
-Ceiling fans, room fans, box fans- If you have them, use them! Air movement makes you feel about 5 degrees cooler than the actual air temperature. This means you can have your thermostat set to 80, but you’ll feel like you are running it at 75! *One thing to note with room fans: They cool people, not rooms. It is the evaporation off of the skin that makes it feel cooler. So if you aren’t in a room, there really isn’t a reason to keep a ceiling or room fan running.
-Have a whole house fan? Open up the house first thing in the morning and run the fan to pre-cool the house for an hour or more (if it is cool enough outside) then close the windows, drapes, blinds to hold in the cool.
-Keep all blinds and drapes closed, if you have outdoor awnings or shade structures, keeping the sun off the windows helps!
-Don’t do any chores! You’re welcome. Keeping the oven, dishwasher, washer and dryer off will keep the heat load down in the home and also the power grid demand lower. This applies to lights too. The less power we use on everything else, the more power we’ll have to keep our air conditioners running in the hottest part of the day.
-For a more comfortable night’s sleep- right before bed, spray down your top bed sheet with water in a spray bottle. Turn on a room or ceiling fan and crawl into bed. It will be nice and cool (at least for a little while) and help you get to sleep. Add a little lavender oil for a more peaceful rest.