| ACU | Air |
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| ACU | Air |
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| (281) 419-8752 | (936) 273-2218 |
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No matter the season, we keep you comfortable
- Apply a reflective coating to your existing roof. Standard roofing coatings are available at your local hardware store. Purchase one that has both waterproof and reflective properties. These are marketed primarily for mobile homes and recreational vehicles, but can be applied over many common roofing materials." (Cooling Your Home Naturally)
- Plant tall, fast growth trees on the south side of your house. Eventually they will help to shade your roof from the sun. A word of warning: take care not to plant trees with aggressive roots too close to your foundation. Consult your local nurseryman for the right species.
- Going up the chimney with a bound may work for Santa, but don't allow your heated or cooled air to make the same quick getaway. When your fireplace is not in use, keep your dampers or glass doors closed.
- Install an attic fan to draw hot air out of your attic.
- Properly sized and placed louvers and roof vents help prevent moisture buildup and overheating in your attic. (Cooling Your Home Naturally)
- Install R-30 insulation in your attic.
- Unless you are depending on your dishwasher to sterilize baby bottles, consider setting your water heater to 120 degrees.
- Add an insulation blanket to your water heater. (Check the manufacturer's label for important information).
- Add insulation to water pipes to reduce heat lost in route from your water heater to your showers, tubs, and faucets.
- Use conservation showerheads to eliminate hot water waste.
- Is there a star on your horizon?
Replace old appliances with high efficiency models bearing the EnergyStar label. Many such upgrades will pay for themselves over time through savings on your utility bills.
- Under the Utility Rating Plan, the premiums on some homeowners' policies may increase when any of the home's insured utility systems (electrical, plumbing, heating, and air conditioning) become 40 years old. Some insurance carriers will reduce your premiums if you have replaced the heating and air conditioning equipment, electrical service entrance, and distribution panel in the last 10 years. Consult your insurance agent.
- Take care not to position rugs over or directly in front of supply air or return air vents. Efficient cooling and heating depends on free air flow.
- Are you throwing money out the window? You are if air is leaking out your windows and doorways. Roughly 40% of the unwanted heat that builds up in your home comes in through windows. (Cooling Your Home Naturally)
- Weatherstripping the perimeter of exterior doors can keep heated and air conditioned air from escaping. It also reduces the risk of visits from unwanted guests such as snakes and scorpions.
- Apply caulking and weatherstripping to keep heated or cooled air from escaping.
- In the summer, keep drapes and blinds closed during the day.
- Be aware that when you seal doorways and windows, you can increase the risks caused by indoor pollutants such as allergens and carbon monoxide. For more details and for infomation on how to control pollutants in well sealed buildings, visit our Indoor Air Quality page.
- Trees, shrubs, and vines can create a cool microclimate that reduces the temperature by as much as 9 degrees? During photosynthesis, large amounts of water vapor escape through the leaves, cooling the passing air. (Cooling Your Home Naturally)
- Vines are a quick way to provide shading and cooling. Grown on trellises, vines can shade the whole side of a house. Set trellises away from your house to allow air to circulate and to keep the vines from attaching to your house's facade and damaging its exterior. Placing vegetation too close to your house can actually trap heat and make the air around your house even warmer. (Cooling Your Home Naturally)
- Plant deciduous trees; they provide shade in the summer, then lose their leaves and allow sunlight to warm your house in the winter. The taller varieties of trees will shade your roof as well as your walls.
- If your home sits empty a good part of each day, consider investing in a programmable thermostat or manually adjust the temperature each time you leave and return home.
- In the summer, raise the temperature a few degrees when you plan to be away for several hours at a time. (Do not shut off your air conditioner or raise the temperature too high, as heat and humidity can encourage the growth of mold and mildew in your carpet, drapes, furnishings, and clothes).
- In the winter, reverse the process and lower the temperature on your thermostat before you leave home. According to Consumer Energy Information, it requires less fuel for a furnace to warm a cold house back to a comfortable temperature than it does to maintain a comfortable temperature while the house is sitting empty.
- If you use standard filters, change them monthly. If you use an electrostatic filter, rinse it out regularly.
- If you have a mechanical air filter or HEPA filter inside your heating and cooling system, have an air conditioning and heating teachnician replace the filter annually.
- This means pruning any nearby hedges and keeping the grass mowed. Treat the area for fire ants, as needed. Ants commonly build mounds inside condensers and can cause your air conditioning to shut down.
- Ceiling fans boost the efficiency of your air conditioner in the summer. In most cases, you can set your thermostat a couple of degrees higher while maintaining the same comfort level.
- In the summer, set fans to turn clockwise. The fans will not only keep the rooms more comfortable by circulating the air but will draw warm air upwards towards the ceiling.
- In the winter, set fans to turn counterclockwise. The blades will force the warm air downwards.
- An annual inspection of your cooling system may extend the life of your equipment and save you money by lowering your energy bills. Poorly maintained air conditioners can waste a tremendous amount of energy. "National statistics show that over 70% of all air conditioning and compressor outages could be avoided if the equipment was regualarly checked, adjusted, calibrated, and maintained by qualified technicians." (Source - Around the Clock: Engery Saving Tips).
- ACU Air performs air conditioning inspections each spring, from March 1 through May 15. These inspections can identify the common causes of reduced cooling and unnecessarily high electric bills, including:
- • Improper refrigerant levels
- • Dirty evaporator and/or condenser coils
- • Improperly calibrated thermostats
- • Poorly secured or damaged ducts
- ACU Air performs heating inspections each fall, from October 1 through December 15, to make sure that your heating system is operating safely and efficiently. This is especially important if you have a gas heater, which can leak carbon monoxide. Don't wait until the coldest night of the year to have your heating system inspected. If a heating technician observes cracks or holes in your heat exchanger, he is required, by law, to turn off the gas to the system until the heat exchanger or furnace has been replaced.
