Your HVAC system can be a source of both comfort and worry. The comfort part, of course, comes from the way it keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. However, if you’re like most people, you probably can’t help wondering if you’re using it as efficiently as you could. You may also worry about it breaking down and wonder if there are ways to make this less likely to happen.
Unfortunately, if you start asking around with your questions about maximizing efficiency and taking the best care of your system, you’ll find there are lots of confident opinions but not much knowledge to back them up. This can leave you even more worried. The five HVAC myths debunked below can help give you peace of mind about how to get the most out of your cooling and heating system.
1. Running Your System All Day is Cheaper
The idea that it’s cheaper to run your AC or heating all day rather than just for a few hours as needed is one of the most common HVAC myths of all. It also may be the source of the most disputes. If you look online, you’ll see countless arguments, which often include the assertion that if your home gets too cool or too warm, the system will have to “work harder” to adjust the temperature. According to this argument, it is, therefore, cheaper to keep the house warm or cool all the time, even if you aren’t home.
Of course, on the hottest days of the year in a climate like Phoenix, you probably do need to keep the AC on 24/7. It’s also true that how much savings you’ll get from leaving your heating or air conditioning off is affected by several different factors, including the type of system that you have, your insulation, how much sun gets in, and other variables. However, in general, you’re better off raising the thermostat when you’re out of the house or don’t need the heating or AC for some other reason, and lowering it when you do need it.
Note that controlling the system via the thermostat generally puts less overall wear and tear on it than turning it on and off over and over throughout the day. If saving money is a big concern, adjusting the thermostat a few degrees can lead to significant savings.
2. Maintenance is a Money Waster
This can seem like a hard one to argue with if your system seems to be running okay without having it checked out once or twice a year. Unfortunately, just because you haven’t had any problems up to now doesn’t mean that you’ll never have them. In addition, there are a lot of reasons that maintenance is a good idea. First of all, if you have a warranty, maintenance might be required to keep it. If you’ve got a new system, be sure to look over your warranty and see if this is the case.
However, regular maintenance offers plenty of benefits besides keeping your warranty. When you have a professional go over your system, they can look for any issues that might cause trouble for you down the road. You can have them taken care of before they turn into big problems or emergencies that cost you a lot of money and stress to fix. In turn, this helps you avoid having to suffer through a stretch of hot or cold weather without air conditioning or heating. In addition, regular maintenance helps your system operate more efficiently.
Finally, maintenance can extend the overall lifespan of your system. When you consider that the cost of maintenance visits is generally pretty low, you can see that it makes sense to schedule these to keep your HVAC system running in top condition.
3. A Bigger System is Better
Phoenix has very hot summers, so you need a huge system to cope with that heat, right? This is another common myth about HVAC: bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to your heating and cooling system.
Installing a new AC system or heater that is bigger than you need will cost more money upfront and will be less efficient. On top of that, when you have a system that is too big for your home, it may begin to do something called rapid cycling. This is when the system starts to turn on and off in short cycles, and it wears out more quickly when it is doing this.
A related myth is that your home’s square footage is the only element you need to consider when you’re choosing how big an HVAC system you need. The number of windows in your home, your ceiling heights, how many people live there, which direction it faces, how much sun it gets, and how well-insulated it is are all among the factors that must be considered when deciding what size system you need.
4. Closing Doors and Vents Helps the System Operate More Efficiently
It’s too hot to turn down the thermostat, but there are a couple of rooms in your house that nobody’s using right now. It makes sense to just close the vents or shut the doors to those rooms, right? This is actually not true. When you close vents, this affects the distribution of pressure throughout the system. In a worst-case scenario, it makes the system more vulnerable to air leaks. It could also freeze the condenser, which causes short cycling and less efficiency.
Closing interior doors won’t affect air pressure, but it can impede airflow. This can also cause the system to operate less efficiently. Of course, if you have a system with different temperatures in different rooms, such as ductless mini-splits, this does not apply.
5. Placement of Thermostat or HVAC Unit is Irrelevant
There are a few guidelines to follow in placing the thermostat to help ensure that the temperature it measures is accurate. If your thermostat is in the kitchen or in a place where sunlight falls on it, it may read your home’s temperature as higher than it actually is. It should also be attached to an interior wall rather than an outside wall so that it is unaffected by outside temperatures. It should not be near any windows, either.
Follow similar principles for the placement of the outdoor HVAC unit. If your AC is in direct sun, it will heat up and will have to work harder to keep things cool. In addition, outdoor units should not be obstructed by shrubbery or any other objects. This can affect airflow and how well the units work.
Best HVAC Company in Phoenix
At [company name], we offer maintenance, installation, and repair of heating and cooling systems. This includes traditional central heat and air systems, as well as heat pumps and ductless AC. We also offer an affordable maintenance plan that can help keep you comfortable in your home all year round. We’re a family-owned business, and all of our HVAC technicians are NATE-certified. We’ve got an A+ rating from the BBB, and we were awarded the President’s Award from Carrier for our superior installation standards.
When you need HVAC services in the Phoenix area, call the experts at Cool Zone Air Conditioning & Heating for the best home comfort care in the area.
