If you move into a new home, you may find that you have a central air unit. If you’re a first-time homebuyer, maybe you’ve never had one.
Having a central air unit usually beats having fans or window AC units. You get cool air throughout the house, provided the unit’s doing its job correctly.
You can always swap out your AC when performance drops if you feel like you can afford a new one. However, you might also try to get as much usable life out of your current one as you can.
We’ll discuss some money-saving central air conditioner tips right now.
Check the Unit Frequently, Especially During the Summer
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Most times, you will see a central unit in the side yard. You can go over there and look it over. During the warmer months, you might see creeping vines and other vegetation that grows and threatens your
AC unit’s integrity.
You never want vegetation growing on and around an AC unit, and you don’t want leaves falling into it during the autumn months. You can weed around the unit in the summer and make sure it performs better that way. During the fall, you can go over there on the weekends or whenever you have a free moment and ensure no fallen leaves get into the unit’s main housing.
During the winter, if you get any snow, you can have a large, solid wooden square that you put over the unit’s top. You can secure that with a cinderblock.
When you do, you’ll prevent snow from getting into the unit. If you don’t do this, you probably won’t get as much usable life from the AC, as the inner components can rust. If they do, you must replace them, and that can get costly in a hurry.
Schedule Regular Maintenance
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You might live somewhere that gets cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Many parts of the country qualify.
If so, you will run your central air unit in the summer and your furnace during the winter months and possibly into early spring as well. You need a well-maintained HVAC system. That includes your AC, your furnace, and also all the ductwork that goes throughout the house and delivers cool and warm air, depending on the season.
You can contact an HVAC company and have them come do maintenance on your HVAC system. Ideally, they should come twice per year. They’ll come around November and check your furnace. They’ll come around May and check your central air unit.
Each visit costs money. The HVAC company technician will look over your furnace or central air and your ductwork and make sure everything’s functioning correctly.
If you set up a yearly maintenance plan, that’s usually cost-effective. You can pay a single lump sum and get both central air unit and furnace maintenance, and you will also get preferential treatment if you ever have an emergency call. These measures make sense as a homeowner.
