We sure enjoy our cool air during hot days. But how much do you know about air conditioning? Here’s a fun “True/False” quiz that offers some helpful information.
1 – Air conditioning systems pump cool air into your house.
False. Air conditioning systems actually remove the hot air from your home. If you’ve ever put your hand over the blower fan on your external AC unit, you’ll know the air being blown out is quite warm. That’s the warm air being pulled out of your home.
2 – I can cool my house down quicker by setting the thermostat lower than normal.
False. Turning your thermostat lower than normal doesn’t speed up the cooling process. Your air conditioner can only process the amount of air it was designed for. To save money on energy costs, consider installing a programmable thermostat. It will allow you to set different temperatures depending on the time of day. A higher temperature when your family is away at work and school for the day and cooler when everyone comes home.
3 – It is best to leave all interior doors open when running my air conditioning system.
True. Central air conditioning systems operate on a “closed loop”. A free flow of air throughout the house keeps the air pressure balanced and allows the unit to operate more efficiently.
4 – I can save money by closing the vents and shutting off the rooms I don’t need to cool.
False. As alluded to in the previous question, when an unused room is closed off, door and air vents shut, it causes an imbalance in the system. Without the free flow of air through the house the pressure will build and the air will look for anywhere it can go. The air conditioning system is pushing air against the closed vents but it has no escape. Much better to set the thermostat as a consistent temperature and leave all vents and interior doors open.
5 – Evaporative Coolers are more effective in dry climates.
True. Evaporative coolers operate by forced air passing through a wet filter. As the air passes over the water, the temperature is lowered. Evaporative coolers, sometimes known as “swamp coolers”, don’t work in humid climates because the dew point is too high. Too much moisture in the air nullifies the cooling effect.
6 – I can save energy costs by operating my cooling system in “bursts” of five or ten minutes.
False. The best way to operate your cooling system is to set your thermostat to “auto” and the desired temperature. Operating your system in random time periods is actually hard on your equipment because there is too much starting and stopping. Plus, doing that you will be overriding the purpose of the thermostat.
7 – Using ceiling fans can help cool my home more efficiently.
True. Ceiling fans keep the air circulating in your home. Properly used, ceiling fans may allow you to set your thermostat a degree or two higher than normal, saving you energy cost. Says Alex Bryan from Sinclair, “If you are running more than one ceiling fan it is actually cheaper to turn the fan on their thermostat to the “on” position. This will circulate air throughout the house and burns about the same amount of electricity. The hardest thing on (and the most expensive part of) a motor is the starting process. So running it continuously through the summer will not shorten the life of the motor.”
The experts at Sinclair are here to help you keep your cool this summer. Call us today and we’ll inspect your system, give it a tune up if necessary and make sure your equipment is ready for the season. Call us at 806-749-COOL (2665)