Air Conditioning

Maintenance Checklist

Be sure your home is adequately insulated. Adding insulation to attic areas is usually pretty easy.

Check the seals around windows, doors, electrical outlets or any other potential sources for escaping air. Seal these areas using a good quality caulk, and be sure to re-examine your handiwork every few years.

Inside your home, weather stripping around moving parts of windows and doors can help seal off potential areas of leakage or drafts. Programmable Thermostat - With a programmable thermostat, you can program winter temperature at 65º at night, then back to 72º during the day. This simple program can save up to 15% on heating bills.

Insulating pipes and ducts that run through unheated space will result in a significant savings in your energy bill. Heat escapes from bare hot-water pipes causing the water sitting in those pipes to cool down between uses. This results in running extra water from the faucet to get hot water. Wrapping these pipes will save you money. Wrapping cold water lines won't save you energy dollars, but will eliminate dripping and sweating from condensation, avoiding water spots.




One of the most effective and inexpensive ways to reduce your air conditioning costs is to adjust your thermostat setting. The savings can be significant when you set your thermostat at 78 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. For each degree you raise your thermostat setting, you reduce seasonal cooling costs by 7 percent to 10 percent. By using ceiling fans to supplement an air conditioner, most people can raise their thermostat setting three degrees and feel just as comfortable.

Of course, the best way to reduce your air conditioning bills is to reduce heat in your home, especially during summer months. The tips below can help reduce the workload on your air conditioning solution:

• Set the temperature a little higher. Most people can be comfortable with a setting of 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit, plus you'll save 7 percent to 10 percent of your cooling costs for each degree above 78.
• When you leave home, turn off the air conditioning or set the thermostat up a few degrees.
• Be sure your filters are clean. They should be checked monthly. (Remember to check filters that may be in a unit located in the attic.) Coils of an outdoor unit should be free of debris and not blocked by plants, shrubs, etc. Be sure the return air grill inside your house is not blocked by furniture or other items. (If you have more than one return, check them all.) A return needs a free flow of air for the air conditioning to operate most efficiently.
• Keep doors and windows closed when air conditioning is on. Turn off kitchen or bathroom exhaust fans when your air conditioning is operating.
• Caulk and weather-strip leaky windows and doors.
• Use a ceiling fan or portable fan to supplement your air conditioning. A fan can make you feel three to four degrees cooler (and only costs a half-cent per hour to operate) so you can set your thermostat a few degrees higher and save on cooling costs. Use in occupied rooms since fans cool people, not rooms. As a safety precaution, turn off ceiling fans when you leave your home.
• For central air conditioning systems, keep the fan switch on your thermostat in the "auto" position when cooling. This gives you better cooling and humidity control. Having the fan switch "on" continuously could cost $25 extra a month on your electric bill.
• Use shades or drapes to block the hot sun from heating up your home. Use awnings, trees and shrubs to shade your home.
• Use your microwave or countertop appliances for cooking instead of the oven or stove.
• If you suspect your air conditioning system is not cooling properly, have it checked promptly. A unit that is having operational problems can cause extremely high bills.
• If your air conditioning equipment is older and less efficient, compensate by being extra careful about temperature settings, hours of operation and filter condition.
• Make sure your home is properly insulated. In existing homes, wall insulation may be too expensive to install, so concentrate on attic and floor insulation.

Most central air conditioner thermostats are equipped with two fan settings – "on" and "auto." When the setting is "on," the fan runs continuously. The "auto" setting allows the fan to run only during cooling cycles (when the air conditioner compressor is operating). When the air conditioner is in use 24 hours a day, the cooling compressor only operates about 50 percent of the time, or 12 hours.

The additional fan operating time that occurs when the thermostat is set to "on" can add approximately $25* to monthly air conditioning bills. Using the "auto" setting, on the other hand, saves energy and money because the fan operates fewer hours.

In addition to achieving energy and cost savings, the "auto" setting promotes more comfort in the home by providing better humidity control. Humidity is less controlled when the "on" setting is used as moisture removed during the cooling cycle is recirculated back into the home while the compressor is off.

Some customers prefer the "on" setting because it provides continuous airflow. However, the air circulating when the compressor is not operating is not "cooled" air. This airflow into the home will actually be warmer than current room temperature if the air has circulated through ductwork located in a hot area such as an attic. Continuous air circulation is better provided by the use of a ceiling fan or circulatory fan in each occupied room.

The "auto" fan setting on central air conditioner thermostats can offer more economical air conditioning and better humidity control. The same holds true for central heating systems – the "auto" setting provides more economical operation. Progress Energy encourages consumers currently using the "on" setting to consider using "auto" to help reduce their cooling and heating costs.

"Can I save energy by shutting off central-system air vents in unoccupied rooms of my home?" Progress Energy's experience consistently shows that this practice saves little energy and, in some cases, may actually raise operating costs.

• Avoid Operating Efficiency Reductions
By design, central air conditioning and heating systems are sized and constructed to distribute a specific quantity of air throughout a home. Consequently, closed vents may alter the amount of air moved, and disturb the balance and operation of the system. This, in turn, may result in reduced operating efficiency and increased operating costs.
• Consider Home and System Design
Unless your home and system are specially designed to maintain different temperature zones, we do not recommend closing air vents as an energy-saving practice. When the walls of a home are not properly insulated for zone cooling, energy will still flow to or from the rooms with closed vents, in addition to affecting system operation.

Energy Star A/C Savings Brochure - View
Energy Star Do It Yourself Guide - View
Energy Star Duct Sealing Guide - View