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Coeur D’Alene & Spokane Area

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For Optimal Efficiency, Schedule AC Repairs ASAP

technician-working-on-ac-outdoor-unitHave you scheduled professional maintenance for your air conditioner yet this season? If not, it’s not too late! In fact, it is more important that you have maintenance done on a regular basis than it does the time of year you have it done—though we typically recommend springtime since it’s right before you’ll need your cooling system the most.

Why is maintenance so important? Well, it’s during this service that our technicians thoroughly inspect your air conditioner. We’ll clean the system inside and out, while checking for any components that need adjusting and checking for any repair needs. The latter is what we want to discuss today.

Does Your Air Conditioner Need Repair?

So let’s say you’ve had maintenance done, and your technician alerted you to repair needs. Perhaps the fan belt is wearing down and needs replacement. Or perhaps one of the capacitors needs replacement—or worse, you have a refrigerant leak.

Ignoring, neglecting, or delaying these repairs can result in a sudden breakdown of your air conditioner right in the middle of summer, when you need it the most. Even if that doesn’t occur, however, a system that is in need of repairs simply will not perform as efficiently as it’s meant to.

What does this mean for you? It means that you’ll be paying more and more money to try to force a failing air conditioner to do its job at the level of performance you received during installation. A cooling system in need of repairs will work harder than it needs to in order to reach the desired settings on your thermostat. Handling repairs right away ensures that maintenance sessions don’t go to waste, and you can stay comfortable in your home at an affordable price.

Other Ways to Boost AC Efficiency

Maintenance and follow up repairs are absolutely vital to ensuring the overall efficiency of your cooling system. But did you know there are other small, simple steps you can take to boost your system’s efficiency, and therefore lower your cooling costs?

  • Raise the Temperature: We get it, this sounds counterintuitive—but hear us out. You may be turning your thermostat settings down much lower than you actually need to in order to maintain comfort! During the summer, many homeowners set their thermostats as low as 71° to cool off “faster,” when 1, this doesn’t work and 2, the average person is perfectly comfortable at 78°! Setting the thermostat lower than you actually need it just forces the compressor to run longer, which is inefficient in and of itself. Keeping the thermostat as high as is bearable for the household helps you save valuable energy—and subsequently, money.
  • Use Your Ceiling Fans: Ceiling fans aren’t just for decoration! They’re also not just for use on mildly warm days. On the hottest days, you can turn them on with your air conditioner, to more evenly distribute the cooled air. Because this will make you feel cooler in your living space, you can turn the thermostat up a few degrees—which as we mentioned above, helps save energy!
  • Change the Air Filter: You know that air filter that came with your air conditioner during installation? It’s not just there to protect your indoor air quality—in fact, that’s not its purpose at all. It’s there to protect the inside components of your HVAC system from dust, dirt, and other debris. But if the air filter gets too clogged, it restricts airflow and prevents your system from working as efficiently as possible. Changing your air filter is something you can, and should, do on your own every 1-3 months.

ACI Northwest is here to help with your home comfort needs or concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us for expert air conditioning repair in Spokane, WA as well as helpful advice.

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