Air Conditioning Tips to Conserve Energy and Reduce Costs

By Raymond Kishk, Co-Owner of Interstate Air Conditioning & Heating

It’s hard not to worry about how global warming is affecting our earth. Something as small as conserving a little energy—if done by hundreds, thousands, or millions of people—can mean a vast difference. We believe that going green with your air conditioning can work toward helping this problem. Here are some things apartment renters and owners can do to help save energy this summer:

1. Invest in a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats can save apartment owners and renters up to $180 a year in energy costs. How? Think of it this way. Now that you have the ability to set different temperatures for specific times in the day, there is no longer wasted air conditioning (aka energy and money) being pumped out into your empty apartment. If you spend most evenings out on the town, why pay to have your apartment cooled for no good reason? But if you want to come home to a nice, cool space, you can set it to go on an hour or so before you get home.
2. Purchase a high-efficiency AC unit. When moving into a new apartment, you must look at the air conditioning unit that was purchased by either the owner or the previous tenant. Is it an older model? Does it seem to work poorly? If you notice either of these things, it is sometimes cheaper to actually replace the unit, instead of calling a company in to fix it. Chances are, if it’s a low-efficiency AC unit (as most older models are), you’re going to be pouring money into it and paying more for your energy bill. Purchasing a high-efficiency unit can save owners/renters 20 to 50 percent in energy usage and cost. (If you’re purchasing a central air conditioning system, find a SEER rating of 14 or better; If you’re purchasing a window unit, find a EERE rating of 10.7 or better.)
3. Install an AC unit that is the correct size. This seems so silly to even mention, but it’s one of the most important factors in making sure apartment owners/renters get all they can out of their air conditioning unit. Just like we wouldn’t try and squeeze into a size 4 if we’re a size 6 (OK, maybe we would, but that’s not the point), an air conditioning unit must be an accurate size for the apartment it’s expected to cool. There’s no way a tiny window unit can cool a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment, right? An owner or renter’s best bet is to have a professional come in and determine which sized unit would be best for the apartment. That way, you don’t have to worry about wasting money or energy.