Alice Arevalo - Country Air[/caption]

A co-owner of a local HVAC company answers questions about making a home more energy efficient and saving on cooling costs in the Tomball/Magnolia area.

What are some tips for lowering a homeowner’s cooling costs?

Change your [HVAC unit’s] filters at least once a month. Then, I highly recommend [performing] maintenance programs twice a year in spring and fall so a professional can go out and check the system ... to make sure that [the unit is] doing [its] job. Check into what type of maintenance programs are available if you have an A/C [service company]. There needs to be good circulation around the outside unit—not a lot of bushes to prevent it from [overheating]. When you mow your yard, don’t blow the grass into the unit, because those coils out there should be clean as well as [the unit] in the attic.

What can homeowners do to make their homes more energy-efficient?

If you’re in the market for a new [HVAC] system, the higher the SEER [Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating], the more efficient a system will be. But of course they’re more expensive, too. I would not put one in [that has] lower than a 16 [rating].

What are some energy-saving tips for renters?

For a renter wanting to keep their cooling costs down, again, make sure that the filters are changed. Even if [landlords] say the maintenance man will change it, I’m not sure that I would count on that. One thing to add to that is to date your filters whenever you put one in, because if you’re like the majority of people, they don’t remember [when they changed it]. A lot of people make the mistake of turning their [A/C] unit off when they leave for somewhere. Never do that, because all of the tangible items in your house heat up, including your couch and everything else. In order for the temperature to come down, it’s got to recool everything. So it’s best to just bump [the thermostat] up to like 78 [degrees] because it could get upwards of 85 and 88 degrees in a house that has no A/C in it. And mobile [homes] are even worse. But don’t ever shut it all the way off—just bump it up [when you leave]. Sometimes people can get programmable thermostats to help them do that.

What temperature range is the most energy-efficient?

That’s kind of a personal [case-by-case] thing, but obviously the lower it is, the more [the A/C unit] is going to run. One tip I use at my home is if you have air circulating—be it a ceiling fan or just a regular fan—your temperature will feel about 2-3 degrees lower. If you want your house at [slightly lower than] 70 [degrees], you could probably set [the thermostat] at 70 [degrees] and have air circulating.

The temperature inside a home will feel 2-3 degrees cooler if air is circulating. Set the thermostat
at a few degrees warmer than
desired, and turn on a fan.[/caption]