4 HVAC Questions for Eco-Conscious Homeowners

As an eco-conscious homeowner, you may feel that the environmental impact of your AC unit is regrettable, but necessary. After all, you can't be expected to face sweltering summer heat, which can even be hazardous to your health, when an AC unit is sitting there waiting to be used.

Fortunately, if you put your mind to it, you can still cut back on your AC system's environmental impact without forgoing the cooling it provides. Here are four questions to ask in your pursuit of lower-impact AC.

1. What Powers Your HVAC System?

Today's homeowners have many different options for reducing their AC's ecological footprint by avoiding fossil fuel use. Geothermal systems, for instance, cycle the excess heat in your home far underground and cool your house that way. But even if you have a traditional AC unit, all is not lost.

Installing solar panels to offset your HVAC system is a surprisingly affordable option nowadays. You may only need a couple of panels as opposed to an entire array, and you may not even have to mount them on your roof. Or you may be able to find a power company in your area that offers solar- or wind-based power.

2. How Can You Increase Efficiency?

Whether you use fossil fuels to power your AC or you use solar power, no energy is truly free. But no matter the power source, the more energy you save, the lower your ecological footprint. So a more efficient AC unit, as a rule, is going to be better for the Earth.

If your AC use has been on autopilot, now is the time to take a step back and look at increasing efficiency. For example, you can use a smart thermostat to track when you really need the AC to be on and cut back on cooling when it's not needed. Or you can add some of the following passive cooling measures to reduce the load on your AC system:

• Open the windows in the evening or mornings if the temperatures are cool
• Add a radiant barrier or attic insulation
• Shade part of your house with landscaping
• Coat your roof with a cool roof coating

These measures can help reduce the amount of extra heat added to your home each day, making your AC unit's job easier so that it uses less power.

3. Could Your System Use Extra Maintenance?

Another way you can make your unit's job easier is by taking great care of it. Even if you already schedule professional maintenance annually, home maintenance can make a difference as well. Try caring for your AC system with the following tasks:

• Check air filters more frequently and change them when they start to get dirty
• Keep plenty of open air space around the AC unit
• Keep all grass and plants around the unit trimmed to under six inches tall
• Check the condenser coil fins to make sure they're not flattened down
• Vacuum away any debris stuck in the sides of the unit
• Have your AC technician wash the AC coils twice a year

Better than average maintenance will help your AC unit stay efficient.

4. What Should You Look for In a Replacement?

When you do replace your AC unit, you'll want to make sure it's as eco-friendly as possible. But what can you look for when evaluating how eco-friendly the unit is?:

• Look for the highest SEER rating you can find (high ratings mean higher efficiency)
• Research the company to see if they have eco-friendly business practices like carbon offsets or green packaging
• Look for a unit that uses a more eco-friendly refrigerant, such as R-290, which has less potential for global warming

A replacement unit that meets these criteria will be a much more eco-friendly choice than a run-of-the-mill unit.

These four questions will help you to assess how eco-friendly your current AC use is and how you can reduce your AC's environmental footprint. For more information about AC maintenance or repairs, get in touch with Parks Davis Air Conditioning & Heating today.