Air Conditioning
A highly important aspect of being comfortable at home or in the workplace is the indoor climate. Air conditioning is a necessary cooling solution in places that experience hot weather for certain periods throughout the year whether it is just for the summer season or longer.
While many buildings that do not have any form of artificial cooling system can often cope adequately with moderately warm weather during summer without becoming too hot inside, many more are simply not designed or situated in such a way they can avoid internal heating during hot weather.
It is these that become often unbearably hot inside and need a way of reducing the internal temperature that is effective while not being too expensive to operate.
The Benefits of Air Conditioning
Air conditioners, whether they are configured as central systems, distributed standalone ductless mini-split units, individual window units or even vented or ventless portable air conditioners, are often found in homes and places of work where their ability to provide a cooler internal atmosphere is required during hot weather.
Modern AC systems and individual units are much more efficient and economical than older counterparts and are much more affordable nowadays than they used to be.
There are many benefits to having a modern, professionally designed and installed system in domestic and commercial buildings where they are needed as we shall see below:
- Provide a cooler, more comfortable living and working climate indoors
- Cost effective and affordable to run
- Economical when correctly set up and sensibly used
- Non-intrusive and generally complimentary to internal design and decoration
- Reliable and provide a long working life when correctly maintained
Despite a lot of bad press about high energy consumption, modern air conditioning systems can be surprisingly economical when they are used in accordance with manufacturer's recommended settings and regularly maintained by professionals.
AC Energy Consumption Issues
Most of the unfavorable instances of excessively high energy usage by HVAC or air conditioning equipment, particularly in the home occur when the system is not used sensibly or correctly, or it has become old and neglected without proper regular maintenance. However, even old equipment can be revitalized to a point by a professional overhaul by an experienced engineer, cleaned out and have worn out parts replaced.
Yet even very new systems can use much more power than they need to when operated incorrectly by family members that simply are not aware of the correct way to use them. Most of the instances of high power consumption occur when the thermostat is set too low or a unit is left running unnecessarily in one or more unoccupied rooms in the house.
It is common for people to believe they should set the thermostat to make it very cold inside the home or in each individual room where zoning is possible as a way of counteracting the extreme heat outside. This is wrong and can actually end up damaging the system along with causing it to overwork and overuse energy by a considerable margin.
Setting the Thermostat Sensibly
The correct setting for a domestic or commercial thermostat to maintain a comfortable temperature inside a building is a level that is actually "comfortable" and not "cold." 
A good rule of thumb is to set the temperature to where you'd like it to be all year round, not just in summer.
In winter, when you need to create warmth inside the home or work place, it would be reasonable to set the thermostat to around 72-75 degrees Fahrenheit for it to be comfortable without feeling cold. So why do some people feel it necessary to set a summer temperature to an almost crazy low value of 60-65 degrees?
When it's too cold indoors in summer, it would be reasonable to consider the thermostat is set too low. Set it to 72-75 degrees and create a comfortable indoor climate where everyone can enjoy it without needing to sit around in woolly jumpers inside when the sun is searing hot outdoors!
At this level, the system doesn't need to work so hard to maintain that sensible temperature and that means is won't need to use more power than is necessary. That's the way to promote a more economical and less costly way to stay comfortable indoors not just in summer but all year round.
Learning More
There are many advantages to having an air conditioned home that doesn't cost the earth to keep cool during summer. You can learn more about air conditioning and its many facets by taking a look at the additional info articles we have created and published here for your convenience.
The titles are listed below for you to click on and open at your leisure.