MEDICINE HAT, AB – The heat is back in southern Alberta.
Daytime highs will be over 30 C for most of this week before cooler weather is expected on Friday.
With temperatures like this, if you have one, your air conditioner is likely on when you’re home, and maybe when you’re not at home.
In these times of ridiculous inflation and over-the-top gas prices, many consumers are looking to save a buck or two wherever they can. Energy costs money, and the more you use it the higher the bill is going to be.
But you shouldn’t actually turn off your air conditioning entirely if you’re simply leaving the house to go to work. If you’re just leaving home for the day, it’s more energy efficient to keep your air conditioning turned on but turn it a few degrees higher than you might set it for comfort if you were at home so it’s not blasting cold air all day.
It’s a myth that the AC unit has to work extra hard to cool off a hot house. It runs at the same speed either way.
Now, if the entire household – pets included – is vacating the premises for more than two days, you should go ahead and turn everything off.
As far as maintaining the efficiency of your air conditioner, the most important maintenance task is to routinely replace or clean its filters.
Clogged, dirty filters reduce the amount of airflow and significantly reduce a system’s efficiency.
When your air conditioner needs more than regular maintenance, such as when it does not reduce the indoor temperature to a comfortable level, hire a professional service technician. A well-trained technician will find and fix problems in your air conditioning system.
