If your home is not cool enough, you may need AC replacement. Your air-conditioner may not be powerful enough to keep your home comfortably cool. However, even with a powerful enough AC, you can have non-optimal airflow or insufficient insulation that affects your comfort levels too.
The best way to find out which one applies in your case is to schedule a visit from a trusted home maintenance company. They will be able to tell you if your air-conditioner has sufficient power for your space, help ensure you have optimal airflow and check if your space has the requisite insulation to keep the cool air in and the heat out.
This guide discusses optimal airflow and insulation, providing tips on how you can improve both to enhance the benefits of your air-conditioning system. Read on so you will learn how to maximise the cooling benefits of your AC.
Optimising Airflow
Airflow is the movement of air, and it’s crucial when you want to keep your home cool. Specifically, it determines how evenly and effectively the cool air circulates throughout your space.
Without proper airflow, even the most advanced air conditioners will struggle to maintain consistent temperatures throughout your home. Poor airflow leads to hot spots, increased strain on the AC unit and a higher energy consumption. Good airflow ensures that cool air reaches every corner of your home, enhancing comfort and ensuring your AC unit operates at peak efficiency.
The following are ways of optimizing airflow in your home for the purpose of improving your air-conditioner’s cooling efficiency:
Perform regular AC maintenance.
Clean your AC filter regularly. Clogged filters impede AC units from working correctly.
Better yet, replace your air filter with a new one every quarter to ensure unobstructed airflow. If you have furry pets (e.g., cats and dogs), replace your filters much more frequently, say monthly or every other month.
Clear your vents and ducts.
Do not close your vents; make sure no furniture or walls are blocking air vents and AC duct openings. Additionally, regularly clean your vents and duct openings. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove any blockages that may be inhibiting airflow. Look into AC duct cleaning services if you are not sure how get the job done right.
Keep your condenser unobstructed.
The condenser unit, the component of air-conditioning systems installed outside, should be kept clear of any obstructions. Clean the space around the condenser, removing dirt, debris, plants, and objects that may be obstructing airflow to the unit.
Get your duct system inspected.
Cracks in your air ducts can be leaking cooled air, which means weaker cooling in the rooms with duct openings. Therefore, regular duct inspection is crucial to maintaining optimal airflow. You should also schedule one if you think something’s inhibiting your AC airflow.
Install fans
Install ceiling fans and use stand fans to help circulate cool air more evenly in your space.
Upgrade your duct system as needed.
Could it be that your ductwork can be improved? Let an AC specialist assess your system for the best configuration possible, given your space. Upgrading your system may lead to significant airflow gains.
Improving Insulation
Insulation is vital to efficient cooling. It serves as a barrier, preventing the cool air inside your home from mixing with the hot air outside.
Insulation means increased efficiency and reduced energy costs. Proper insulation in walls, attics, doors, windows, and even around ducts keeps the cool air where it’s meant to be – inside your home.
Insulation also minimises heat gain during the warmer months. This reduces the overall load on your air conditioning system, prolonging its lifespan and maintaining consistent indoor temperatures.
Doing the following can improve your home insulation:
Use window treatments.
Windows are hotspots. Installing window furnishings like roller shutters, plantation shutters, and blinds can help insulate your windows, reducing the amount of heat getting in through them.
Insulative roller shutters on windows that get the sun all day can reduce the heat infiltrating your home by a whopping 90%. The right plantation shutters can also decrease your cooling costs by 35%. Blinds are similarly effective at reducing heat exchange through windows.
Aside from blinds and shutters, curtains can be good options, too. Thick, blackout curtains are particularly advantageous for insulation.
Seal windows and doors.
To ensure the cool air from your AC won’t escape your home, inspect your home to see if there are no gaps and cracks through which cool air could escape and warm air could get in. These include windows and doors.
Use weather stripping or caulk around window frames and what could be small openings at the top and bottom of doors. No matter how small, such spaces can leak cool air and let heat in.
Upgrade insulation.
Call a professional contractor and have them check your insulation. This is particularly crucial for older homes. The contractor can recommend and install better insulation for your attic, walls and floors.
Insulate ductwork.
Exposed ductwork running through the attic can lead to a temperature rise of up to 2.7 °C. If you don’t want your ducts to gain heat (and thus lose some cooling power), wrap them in insulation.
Insulating ductwork is particularly recommended if they’re running through areas of the house that could get hot. The attic is an example. However, if the ductwork is in a cool place, exposed and uninsulated ductwork may suffice.
Call a professional home maintenance provider to help you gauge if you need to insulate your ductwork.
Install double-glazed windows.
Use double-glazed glass for your windows. They can effectively keep the cool air in and the hot air out, increasing your home’s energy efficiency by around 70%.
Seal electrical outlets.
Use foam gaskets to insulate around outlets and switch plates.
Insulate the garage as needed.
If your garage shares a wall with a cooled living space, cover it and insulate it.
Efficient and Effective Cooling
Call a home maintenance provider if you feel your AC is getting weaker or if you think your home is not getting cool enough. They can help you clean your vents and duct openings, inspect your ductwork, and make other recommendations to improve the flow of cool air. They can also pinpoint missed insulation opportunities and help you decide whether or not you must replace your AC.
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