Sweating the days away in summer is really uncomfortable. What’s even more difficult is trying to sleep when the thermometer is on the rise. Having a portable or room air conditioner is great if you and your partner are the only ones in the home and you both sleep in the same bed. If you’ve got kids or others present, it’s just not enough to cool everyone off. With central air conditioning installed in your house, no one will lose sleep over the heat again.
The furnace is the key when it comes to this type of cooling system. That may seem ironic since the furnace is fundamental to providing heat in the winter, but central air conditioning uses the furnaces motor and fan to cool the home in summer. Once the air conditioning is turned on, the system blows cold air throughout the home via the heating ducts. Just as every room heats in the winter with the aid of the furnace, every room is cool in the summer because of that same device.
Most heating specialists will tell you that the best time to have the cooling system installed in the home is when a new furnace is purchased. This is true mainly because of the costs involved. To add central air conditioning to an already existent heating system generally costs more than having it installed when the furnace is.
This certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t have a cool home if you just recently replaced the furnace. The equipment needed for central air conditioning can be added to most modern day furnaces. Although this is a job that a homeowner can do on their own, it may be a much better idea to hire a professional contractor to come in and do the job. You certainly don’t want to risk a mistake that will be costly to repair.
Just as you want to keep your windows closed in winter to keep the warm air in, the same is true in the heat. Opening a window seems second nature when it’s very hot outside. However if you have central air conditioning turned on, opening a window will only result in a loss of the cold air which translates to more money. The longer the unit has to run to cool the home, the more it will add up to in energy costs.
Some homeowners have found it advantageous to only turn on the system once they return home from work for the day. This generally affords ample time for the air conditioning to cool the home before it’s time to retire for the night. Having it running all day may keep it more comfortable for the family pet, but if no one is there it’s just a waste of electricity. Use it when you really need it and you’ll stay cool and save money.
