Air Conditioning is an absolute must-have for most Colorado residents to get through the sunny summer months. However, keeping that cold air inside the house is almost as important as running the AC in the first place. When the heat attacks your home, you need to do everything you can to keep the heat out and the cool inside to maintain a comfortable life for your family. These 5 simple steps will make sure that you do the best job you can:
- Seal Your Walls
The most important factor that determines how well your walls seal your home is insulation. Investigate your insulation to see if it fully covers your wall space and that it is made from up-to-date technology. Once you have proper insulation, look for holes or cracks in the walls themselves. Believe it or not, small spaces left by old or poorly installed electrical outlets can give cold air generated by your AC an outlet of its own. Take a quick look at all of your electrical outlets and make sure the panels are flush with the walls and seal them with caulking if needed. - Insulate your attic
Speaking of insulation, did you know that attics and lofts in most homes are not sufficiently insulated? Your ceiling and walls at the top of the home should have approximately 12 inches of good insulation all around. Scope out all the corners, nooks, and crannies. Remember, the laws of physics are forcing the air-conditioned cold to look for ways to escape into the warmer outdoors. You cannot afford to overlook any details in the battle against nature! - Assess your windows
Windows often account for the greatest losses of cold air in people’s homes. These glass openings lack the insulation present in the other areas of your wall, so of course, they cannot keep in the cold nearly as well. They also let in hot sunlight that counteracts all the work your air conditioner is doing. If you have the budget, tinting your windows with commercial-grade film can block a great deal of heat – however, it can be pricey depending on the size of your home. Consider getting curtains to block the sunlight and sealing solutions to make sure the edges of the windows are not leaking air. - Block Your doors
Many homeowners make a very modest investment in door draft sweeps to prevent the massive outpour of air that can come through the space at the bottom and on the side of the door jam. These inexpensive, easy-to-install products are widely available at local hardware stores and online. Plus, they are available in a wide variety of styles (as pictured above). Quickly check the spaces left when your doors are closed and see if this could be the solution for you. In extreme cases, you may even want to replace the door itself and get a new unit professionally installed so that it closes and seals flush. - Get an A/C Tune Up
Air conditioning units, like any other machine, require regular maintenance. Some basic upkeep can make a huge difference in the way your A/C runs, making your home more efficient and saving money on those expensive summertime electric bills. More importantly, a faulty AC could cause a dangerous electrical problem, putting your home and family at risk. Despite the importance of this simple attention to maintenance, many homeowners forget to check up on their AC units until there is a glaring problem (at which point repair or replacement costs could be very high!). Precision Plumbing Heating Cooling & Electric’s skilled HVAC technicians are available 7 days a week to perform Check-Ups and Tune-Ups on your home air conditioning units. Prevent a potentially harmful electrical problem or find a small issue before it becomes a big one by having your ac examined by an Precision Plumbing Heating Cooling & Electric expert today. Call us now at 303-581-1455. Operators are standing by 24/7 to assist you!
