Most of us don’t think about maintaining our air conditioners until it’s too late, according to Mac Bealer, a technician for Mountain Air, so he and his colleagues end up going to as many as 50 jobs a day. You don’t want to be that unlucky homeowner who has to sweat it out for a few hours during a hot and humid Georgia summer—the time is now to have your air conditioner professionally checked. Whether you want to maintain what you’ve got or you need to revamp the whole conditioning system, here are some tips and ideas to help you prepare for the season.


Systems check
If your air conditioner just needs some regular maintenance, follow these guidelines to get the most efficiency and performance.

• Check your system in March and September, the two slower months for system problems.

• Get a maintenance service agreement with your provider. Often, in addition to regular checks, you can get better rates if you have an emergency arise. “It’s like having your teeth cleaned. If you get checked on a regular basis, you can catch things early and help prevent costly repair bills,” says Tommy Estes of Estes Heating and Air Conditioning.

• The indoor coil on your AC is a dust magnet because it stays wet during spring and summer. Dirt on the coil is the most common cause of low efficiency. Inspect and clean it, along with the outdoor coil, on a
regular basis.

• Check the refrigerant charge. If it’s under- or overcharged, your A/C won’t work as well. Leave balancing the charge to a professional.

• Get a good filter and replace or clean it often. The filter affects indoor air quality and efficiency. Filters range in quality, so look for the MERV rating (minimum efficiency reporting value)—the thicker the better. You also can buy high-quality washable filters (allow them to dry thoroughly after washing). Regardless of what you buy, wash or change the filter every one to two months. A filter rating of 11 is a good choice. “A dirty filter builds up static pressure,” Estes says. “If the filter’s clogged, the system has to work harder and that slows the air down.”

• Be sure there is at least of 24 inches of clearance around the condenser unit (the equipment outdoors), says Jeff Johnson, a service manager with Shumate Air Conditioning & Heating. First turn off the system, cut back any tall grass or bushes around the unit, and hose off the platform the unit is sitting on, which will eliminate dirt and dust that might be drawn into the condenser coil.

• In the next few years, R22 refrigerant, like the brand Freon, will become obsolete. The next generation is a recycled refrigerant, like the brand Puron, that will probably also be phased out in about 25 years, according to Tom Mutz, customer service manager with Moncrief Heating & Air Conditioning.

Lower AC energy use
While you may know to set your thermostat above 78 degrees in the summer and below 65 degrees in the winter to save energy, here are a few more tips and reminders to help you save on your next bill.

• Get a programmable thermostat and schedule your use carefully. According to the Department of Energy (DOE), every degree setting below 78 increases energy use by about 8 percent.

• Plant some trees. With any air-conditioning system, using trees and shrubs to shade or partially shade east- and south-facing windows can lower
your bills.

• Do your laundry or dishwashing after the sun sets, or wait until a
cooler day.

• Try not to use a humidifier while your air conditioner is running. The humidifier will force the AC to work harder.

• Whenever running the AC (or heater), keep the house closed tight.

• Depending on your preference for humidity levels, using fans at night
in bedrooms can reduce your need for the whole-house system.

• On low-humidity nights, turn the system down or off, and open windows to get upward and cross-ventilation in the room.

• Insulate your attic. There are many methods and types of attic ventilation and insulation. Whichever method you choose, ask your contractor about the most efficient placement of vents.

An efficient system
If the air conditioner in your home is more than a decade or two old, your better efficiency days may have passed you by, so you might need a new system. When planning for an upgrade, consider average humidity, the type of land around your home, the size of your home or space to be cooled, and what types of fuel are available to you.

Look for the ENERGY STAR label and any relevant energy rating. For example, SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio, which is used to rate cooling efficiency. In early 2006, the DOE raised the minimum SEER rating from 10 to 13, but companies can continue to sell the lower rating until the supply runs out, so be sure to ask for its rating. “The higher the number, the cheaper it will be to run over time, like a mile-per-gallon rate in a car,” Bealer says. “It costs more to put in, but you save money over time.”

Sizing your system also is important. Bealer says if your system is too large for your house, it will not be able to dehumidify the air adequately, essentially creating “a meat-locker effect,” because the system thinks it doesn’t need to cycle all the way through to the dehumidifying setting.

You also can have problems with a system that’s too small, according to Tyson Swann, owner of Premier Indoor Comfort Systems.

“If a house never gets cool enough, it could be a problem as easily as a poorly maintained system not operating at maximum performance,” Swann says. “It also could be inadequately sized for the construction elements of the home.”

Swann says one of the best ways to ensure that your system is installed correctly is to make sure your technician runs a load test called a “manual j heat loss/gain analysis,” which usually is done by computer. The analysis weighs things such as the orientation of the house to the sun and construction elements used.

“If the system is too small, you may have to install an additional system, or in my opinion, replace it with one that is properly sized, because you already have ductwork in place,” Swann says. He says before you do anything as drastic as that you should consider insulation upgrades, window upgrades and other basic house maintenance.

Types of systems
You can choose from several systems, but these three types are most popular.

Central Heat & Air—powered by gas or electricity
• This is a combustion system, meaning an electric or gas furnace moves air over refrigerant. Many experts say gas systems are more efficient.

Heat Pump
• Electricity powers a fan to blow air over coils to heat and cool with refrigerant rather than converting heat from a fuel.

• With a geothermal system, coils move refrigerant under the earth and heat or cool your home, depending on the season. Deep earth tends to stay warm
in the winter and cool in the summer, so if installed correctly, geothermals can be the most energy-efficient systems. However, they also carry the most upfront cost.

• Besides the geothermal pump, there are air-source, ductless mini-splits (for additions or other small areas) and absorption pumps.

Room Air Conditioner
• This system uses electricity to cool the room, and usually sits in a window. This can be a very inefficient system, as it requires more power and air can escape easily through the window.

Powered Attic Ventilator or Attic Fan
• According to Ken Oliver, owner of The Ventilator King, during the summer, the ventilator reduces the attic’s temperature, allowing the AC to work more efficiently.

• The ventilator can be electric, solar-powered or triggered by a heat sensor. It sits on or just inside your roof.

Whole-House Fan
• This is a fan mounted flush against the ceiling that pushes air from inside the house and open windows into the attic. This action creates breezes throughout the house and can reduce attic temperatures, as well.
Whichever type of system you have, think about having someone come out to perform a regular maintenance check now, before the sweltering days of summer kick in and you find yourself without a working system to help you keep your cool.