Summer is almost here! With this year's Spring coming to a close, it's time to prepare for the hot summer days! I'm sure many of you have already begun blasting your A/C to full blast to feel that comfortable cool breeze in your home. But, are you running your A/C as efficiently as possible?

It's important to make sure your A/C is running smoothly and at its most efficient so that you don't spend unnecessarily on electricity and gas. So here are 5 things to avoid doing during the upcoming summer days to keep your A/C running in tip-top shape!

1. Make Sure Your A/C Is The Right Size For Your Home

This is especially applicable for homes that haven't had an HVAC upgrade in a long time. Air conditioning units have a certain "capacity" metric that tells us how a big a space the equipment can cool a home at its most efficient level. The AC's tonnage can give us a good idea of how big this space can be. You also don't want an AC that is too large as it will produce a lot of cool air but won't be on long enough (assuming you have the thermostat set to auto) to dehumidify a room.

At Yuhan Heating & Cooling, we send our comfort consultants to do a thorough walk-through of the house to ensure we select the correct efficiency and tonnage for every home.

2. Don't Leave Your A/C Running 24/7

While it may seem like you'll get more comfort out of keeping your air conditioning running constantly, you'll lose out on much more for little benefit. The electricity costs to keep an air conditioning unit running at 100% all the time will almost double, if not triple, your utilities bill. Especially with today's technology and smart homes, there is no longer a need to keep the unit on all day. So remember to give your AC a break from time to time or, better yet, set your thermostat to control the temperature automatically whenever you can!

3. Leaving Doors And Windows Open

It goes without saying that you should have all of your windows and external doors shut while your AC is on. You wouldn't leave your windows down while your driving as the AC is going full blast now would you? That said, it's also important to shut any doors for rooms inside the house as well. For any AC unit, whether it's your central AC or wall-mounted system, it is dedicated to keeping a room clean (keyword: room). So, just like your close any windows and doors shut for the house, it may be beneficial to shut any room doors as well inside the house!

4. Circulate The Air

On a hot summer day, it's common to see people cool their homes with the AC. But often times, they also have a ceiling fan in the room. People usually see the AC and the fan as an "either-or" solution to their comfort problem. However, they should go hand-in-hand. While the AC is running, it can help if you turn on the fan to give the air in your home some movement and help circulate the air.

5. Neglecting Your A/C Maintenance

Just like how you may take your car to an auto shop for an oil change and tire rotation, it's extremely important to keep your cooling system well-maintained. Technicians will come and follow a very specific checklist to ensure that all the vital parts in your system are operational and working efficiently. That's why we recommend having an annual maintenance plan for all of your HVAC equipment.

At Yuhan Heating & Cooling, we offer maintenance plans for a variety of different equipment. We send out reminders to make sure you're notified when it is time to get your maintenance done and we always follow strict procedures to make sure that the system is working properly and at its best!