With spring right around the corner, your home in Tempe, Mesa, or anywhere else in the greater Phoenix metro area is about to rely once again on your air conditioning system to keep you comfortable through the hot summer months.
Don’t wait until temps are in the triple digits before you realize that your air conditioner is sending your utility bills through the roof, without even keeping you as comfortable as you’d like in your home. If you’re putting together a spring cleaning list, running through this AC tune-up checklist—from AC cleaning to considering the benefits of upgrading your home to heat pumps—will ensure that your home cooling is covered for the entire year.
Turn Your System on Before it’s Too Hot Outside
Many homeowners forget how hot it gets in Phoenix, Arizona during the summer months and hold out until the very last minute to set their thermostat to “cooling” mode only to find out their air conditioner doesn’t work! Be proactive and turn your AC on as a test run before it gets too hot outside in order to avoid being stranded with no cooling before the temperature rises in Phoenix; this way you can rest assured you’re ready for the hot summer months ahead!
Replace Your Air Filters
One of the easiest things you can do to protect and clean your air conditioner is to check and replace the air filters regularly. Air filters trap allergens and pollutants that would otherwise circulate in your breathing air, causing poor indoor air quality and health issues for you and your family. But if you aren’t replacing or cleaning your AC filters regularly, they can get clogged and cause air flow issues. Dirty air filters can push your air conditioner into overdrive, causing unnecessary wear and tear requiring more air conditioning repair calls and a shorter lifespan for your unit.
Do an Outdoor Inspection of Your AC
There are two main components to your central air conditioner—the indoor cabinet, housing the evaporator, and the outdoor cabinet, where your condenser and compressor are located.
Because your condenser and compressor are outdoors, they’re subject to the elements and, well… nature. Over the course of the fall and winter, they can become covered or obstructed by leaves, broken branches, and weeds that can prevent proper air flow and lead to suboptimal performance. Be sure to clean your central air conditioner by clearing the area around your outdoor cabinet and checking it periodically over the course of the year.
Schedule Spring HVAC Maintenance
For homeowners looking to stretch their heating and cooling budget as far as it will go, there’s no better advice than to schedule AC maintenance every spring, before the cooling season really gets into full swing.
AC maintenance work by an HVAC expert can identify small issues before they turn into bigger (and much more expensive) ones, and reduce the risk that your AC could be at risk of completely breaking down at some inconvenient time over the summer (and let’s face it, taking the average summer day in Phoenix into consideration, would there ever be a convenient time for your air conditioner to fail?) Plus, slow air conditioning refrigerant leaks can lead to serious comfort issues and high energy bills, so get ahead of the game this summer!
Even if your air conditioner seems to be working, it could have an issue affecting its efficiency, leading to higher electricity bills without any additional benefit to you. A maintenance call from Ideal Energy follows strict ACCA protocols, and includes a thorough inspection of your cooling system from top to bottom that will ensure that your home will have cool, conditioned air all summer long.
Upgrade Your Cooling System with Ideal Energy
Nothing lasts forever, and your air conditioner is no exception. Even with the best care and a regular tune-up schedule, an aging air conditioner will eventually get to the point where it’s cheaper to replace than to repair – and the last thing you want to do is dump a ton of money into an air conditioning system that’s old. In our Phoenix climate, HVAC systems tend to last between 10-15 years, so keep that in mind before you start repairing an old AC system.
This is a great opportunity to consider the many high-efficiency cooling systems available today. New central air conditioner installation can drastically lower your energy costs while delivering optimal comfort, and ultra-efficient heat pumps and ductless mini splits use cutting edge technology to both heat and cool your home. Plus, you can take advantage of SRP’s Cool Cash rebate program or APS’ AC Upgrade Rebate to get some rebate money back for the cost of the system!