The Biggest Myths About Your Air Conditioner

At Airrific Air Conditioning & Heating, we strive to give you as much information about your heating and cooling systems as possible. Yet unfortunately, there continues to be a lot of misinformation out there. Keep reading to learn the biggest myths about your air conditioner, and make sure to call our Sarasota HVAC experts for all the AC services you need.

The 7 biggest myths about your air conditioner are:

1. Fans are more effective for individual people: It is true that fans are effective when it comes to cooling individual rooms, generating a wind-chill sensation by transferring heat from your body to the air. This can feel great, and save you from having to constantly run your AC, especially at night. However, fans do not actually affect the temperature of the air itself, so the idea that they are more effective than air conditioners is not true. When you want to cool just one room with just one person in it, without lowering your whole home’s temperature, consider using a fan. But for extreme temperatures and relief for your whole family, it’s got to be AC.
2. Bigger is always better: For a long time, common thought was that the larger your AC unit was, the more completely it would cool your home. However, while larger homes do tend to require larger AC units, using a unit that is too big for your house actually causes high humidity in your home which can lead to mold or mildew and drive up your energy costs.
3. You should always turn off your air conditioner when you leave home: While leaving your AC off when you are gone for long periods of time does save money, it is actually a common misconception that turning the system off every time you leave home is energy efficient. For instance, when you shut your AC off before going to work for the day, the system then has to basically reboot when you turn it on again later. This may be fine when you only need minimal cooling power, but turning your AC off when you leave on a hot day, letting the temperature rise in your home, and turning it back on when you return forces the system to work much harder than if you had just left it running.
4. Air filters rarely need to be changed: Although your AC can still function with a dirty air filter for a certain amount of time, eventually, failing to replace the filter is going to have a major impact on the system’s performance. Your air filter traps dirt, dust, and debris, allowing your unit to circulate air freely and keep your home cool. When the filter becomes too dirty, not only does the unit’s performance suffer, so does your indoor air quality. It is generally recommended to change your filter every 2 months or so. Doing this has been found to reduce energy costs as much as 10%
5. Lowering your thermostat is the fastest way to cool your home: Lowering the temperature of your thermostat does not cool your home faster, in fact, it may waste money, especially if you are already running the AC. Your air conditioner reduces the temperature in your home at the same rate regardless of the thermostat setting so setting it to a low temperature while your AC on is going to cost you twice as much while having the same effect. If anything, you should consider getting a WI-FI or programmable thermostat, which can adjust the temperature based on when you are going to be home. This way, your thermostat will not have to work as hard when your AC is on, improving overall energy efficiency.
6. Air conditioners do not affect humidity: Many believe that you need to buy a dehumidifier to lower the overall rate of humidity in your home. While this is a totally valid option, it’s technically not true. Not only do many modern AC systems have a built-in dehumidification function, all air conditioners by definition condition the air. So in addition to lowering the temperature, your AC unit also removes excess humidity from your home on muggy days.
7. You should only call an HVAC technician for repairs and replacements: While air conditioning repairs are one of the most important parts of any skilled HVAC technician’s job, there’s a lot more to AC work than simply fixing old units and installing new ones. Every AC system requires periodic maintenance to function at peak efficiency. Plus, with annual tune-ups from qualified technicians, you can catch potential issues before they spiral out of control, and stop problems before they cost you more money down the road.

Need Air Conditioning Installation? Talk to your air conditioning repair experts at Airrific Air Conditioning & Heating today! Call (941) 371-3355.