On one hand, it’s a relief to be able to turn to your central air conditioning when the weather gets hot, and know that when the cooling season starts, you can use your AC to stay comfortable all summer long.
On the other, turning on your air conditioner is also going to mean an increase in your electricity bill with SRP or APS. Are your cooling bills more than they used to be? Here are a few reasons why that might be.
1. You Need AC Service
There are many ways that an AC could be broken or underperforming but still operating and causing your energy bills to rise. Under these circumstances, your air conditioner will likely be able to continue to cool your home, but it will need to run longer and work harder than usual to do so, which will increase your electricity consumption and lead to higher utility bills. For example, if your AC system isn’t properly charged with refrigerant, it will generally cause a significant energy bill increase.
A qualified AC technician can inspect your cooling system and fix any problems. And you can usually head off many potential AC issues with regular AC tune-ups. Both of these options will help keep your air conditioner working at peak efficiency, saving you money.
2. You Aren’t Taking Advantage of Other Ways to Cool Down
In the middle of summer in Tempe or Scottsdale, AC isn’t really optional. No matter what else you do, your comfort is likely going to be significantly reduced without an operating AC. But that doesn’t mean that your AC is the only thing you can use to stay cool, and by combining some of the following solutions with central air, you can also reduce the workload of your AC and lower the cost to run it.
- Using ceiling fans can allow you to increase the indoor temperature by 4 degrees without feeling any difference in comfort (as long as the fan is blowing on you).
- Programmable thermostats help make sure you aren’t running your AC as much when you don’t actually need it (while sleeping or out of the house), saving you up to 10% of your heating and cooling costs annually.
- Taking advantage of solar shade screens, general exterior shading, curtains and blinds can reduce heat gain by up to 33% throughout the day, giving your AC a much needed break.
3. You Need a New, Higher Efficiency AC
Is your AC more than 10 years old? A decade is a generally accepted point at which it’s recommended that homeowners start considering AC replacement for their aging cooling system. Not only are breakdowns and expensive AC repair calls likely to increase in frequency, but the average new AC unit today is more energy efficient than the average model from 10-20 years ago, meaning you’ll spend less every month to run your cooling system than you were previously. Two stage or variable speed air conditioners can help lower your summer energy bills by only operating at high speed when it’s unbearably hot outside and only use what cooling capacity your home is calling for.
We Specialize in Affordable Whole Home Comfort
At Ideal Energy, we understand that homeowners need to balance their comfort with their budgets. Our goal is to provide you with HVAC service that provides reliable, energy efficient operation for years to come. We won’t push you to buy a new AC when air conditioning repair would be the smarter option, and we treat your cooling system with the same care and attention that we would our own.
Frustrated by rising electricity costs but not sure what the best AC solution is? Give our team of award-winning heating and cooling experts a call, and find out how Ideal Energy can help you save money this summer.