Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ Category

With the recent hot snap people realize the importance of AC units, but it can also be a big waste and expense when used inefficiently. There are plenty of ways to waste cooled air from your Surrey air conditioner, but fortunately there are also several ways to increase efficiency.

Try these, for starters:

1. Keep filters and coils clean

Filters and coils need to be kept clean in order for an air conditioner to run optimally. Clean or change your filter once a month, in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. A tech can should inspect the evaporator and condenser coils every summer, and clean them as necessary.

2. Look at efficiency ratings

All air conditioners bear a rating that reflects their efficiency, called the seasonal energy efficiency ratio, or SEER. The SEER rating is a measure of how much cooling capacity a unit has in relation to how much power it draws. For more energy efficiency, opt for a model with a higher SEER rating.

3. Use the “auto” fan setting

Most thermostats have an “auto” setting that will take control of your AC for you by turning it one when the temperature is high and off again when it is sufficiently low. Make use of this setting for better cooling and energy efficiency.

4. Program your thermostat

A programmable thermostat saves a lot of wasted cooling by keeping the house a few degrees warmer during times when no one is home.

5. Zone your home

To get really serious about cooling efficiency, consider zoning your home. This allows for independent cooling of different parts of the house, so that no extraneous rooms are cooled unnecessarily. For example, if your family likes the bedrooms cooler at night, you can defines them as one zone so that they can be cooled more, but without wasting energy cooling the rest of the house.

6. Get an annual inspection

A machine that is in good working order is a machine that will run efficiently. Air conditioners are no exception. Have a licensed  Surrey air conditioning professional look over your whole system every year to ensure peak operation and maximum efficiency.

Any of these tips on its own will help your air conditioners efficiency, but for best results you should combine them. In particular, the maintenance steps go a long way toward not only improving efficiency, but also maximizing the life of your AC system. Call Ashton Service Group today at 604-283-2383 to schedule an appointment!

And sure enough, if your AC is going to give up the ghost you can bet it’ll be when the thermometer hits 80 – 90 degrees. To make sure that doesn’t happen, it’s highly recommended that you schedule an annual AC tune-up to ensure that your cooling system is in tip-top shape.

If that’s not motivation to schedule an AC tune-up, here are a few more reasons:

• Money – A poorly functioning AC unit is an inefficient AC unit, and we all know that inefficiency is just another word for expensive. Eliminate costly utility bills by keeping your AC in working order.
• Money – Shocker: Your home’s cooling system is kind of complex. So much so that all those little problems can quickly turn into really expensive ones. By tuning up your system, you’ll ensure those problems get taken care of before they get out of hand.
• Timing – You know when most folks schedule maintenance and repairs? That’s right: the middle of summer. Scheduling your maintenance now will save you the wait and expense of having your system serviced during peak season.

Call Ashton Service Group at 604-283-2383 to arrange for one of our experienced service technicians for preventative maintenance or new AC installation.