Serving Milford, MA & the 
The summer heat is sometimes hard to beat in Milford, MA. Your air conditioner provides you with cold relief inside your home. However, when hot weather arrives, you’ll need some help keeping your cooling costs within budget. We offer some helpful tips and tricks you can try at home without additional costs. We can also help with new equipment and devices that make cooling your home less of a chore and easier on your budget.
Keep the Windows and Doors Closed
Letting the hot air in from outdoors counteracts the hard work of your air conditioner. Keep windows and doors closed tightly while your air conditioner runs. Doing so keeps the cold air inside and the hot air outside. Limit the number of trips you take in and out of the house when you must go outdoors. Additionally, pull the shades closed when the sun shines through your windows. Sunshine can add several degrees to your room’s temperature.
Use Your Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are excellent tools for keeping cool in the summer. Switch the fans to spin counterclockwise to create a downdraft. The downdraft gives you a breeze that makes the room feel cooler, helping you stay comfortable when your air conditioner struggles against extreme heat.
Keep the Appliances Off When It’s Hot Out
Your oven, clothes dryer, and other appliances give off heat as they operate. When the outside temperature soars, avoid using these heat-producing appliances. Cook outdoors if you can. Enjoy a cold sandwich or a simple salad for dinner to avoid the heat altogether. Hang your laundry out on a clothesline, and enjoy the fresh scent of naturally dried clothing.
Insulate Your Home
Some areas of your home may not be as well-insulated as others. Consider scheduling an inspection to see where you may benefit from additional insulation. Adding insulation to your home helps keep you cool more efficiently during the summer and helps your home stay warmer in the winter.
Schedule Annual Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is the best way to keep your air conditioner running efficiently. Our technicians perform a checklist of tasks during annual maintenance, ensuring your AC is tuned up and ready to take you through the summer.
- Visually inspect all parts of the system
- Lubricate moving parts
- Clear the condensate drain
- Clean the condenser and evaporator coils
- Check the refrigerant level and fill as needed
- Assess for strange sounds
- Check for foul odors
- Test safety controls
- Calibrate the thermostat
Annual maintenance helps keep your air conditioner efficient, reliable, and safe. You’ll save money on your summer cooling costs with better energy efficiency. Maintenance and tuning help lower the risk of unexpected breakdowns. This service gives you peace of mind that you can stay cool all summer without needing emergency repairs. Finally, your air conditioner will last longer when properly cared for, which can save you thousands of dollars in replacement costs over a lifetime.
Call for Ductwork Cleaning and Repair
Air ducts give cold air from your air conditioner a pathway to the vents. If your ducts are blocked or leaking, you’ll lose this cold air before it can cool your home. If you experience insufficient or uneven cooling, have a technician inspect your ductwork.
Leaks and gaps in your air ducts allow cold air to escape before it reaches the vents. This loss of cold air means your air conditioner must work harder to cool your home to the desired temperature. Leaky ductwork can be sealed and repaired to prevent premature loss of cold air.
If your ducts are corroded or otherwise damaged, replacement may be the best option. Air ducts can be replaced in sections so that you do not have to install a full system of ducts for a single bad piece.
Professional duct cleaning is a maintenance service that removes dust and debris that builds up inside your air ducts over time. Most experts recommend scheduling duct cleaning every three to five years as a preventative measure.
Upgrade Your Air Conditioner
Older air conditioners lose efficiency with age. Even when carefully maintained, your air conditioner may simply be too old to give you the efficiency you need. If your AC is more than 10 years old, and your cooling costs are rising, consider upgrading to a new model. New air conditioners can make a world of difference in terms of efficiency. Our technicians can help you sift through your options and find the best air conditioner for your home.
Try Zoned Cooling
Zoning systems allow you to control separate areas of your home with individual thermostats and ductwork controls. If you have rooms or spaces that experience hot and cold spots, you may benefit from zoned cooling. For example, upper floors in a multilevel home are often harder to keep cool due to the distance cold air must travel through the vents and the heat that rises to the top of the house.
If you install a zoned system, you can get more cool air to the upstairs while leaving the downstairs at a comfortable temperature. When you change the temperature on a zoned thermostat, only that zone is affected. Many people enjoy zoned cooling for multistory houses and rooms, such as bedrooms, that they want to make cooler.
Install a Mini-Split
Ductless mini-split systems are a great way to boost your air conditioner without extensive installation or high replacement costs. A mini-split has an outdoor condenser unit just like your central air conditioner. However, the indoor unit of the mini-split system provides cold air directly into the room it is installed in. Mini-splits do not utilize ducts to spread cold air. Mini-split air conditioners are great for bedrooms, additions, and upper floors where central air conditioning doesn’t reach as well. Installation of a mini-split is fairly quick and simple and you don’t need additional ductwork to enjoy the cold air they provide.
Switch to a Heat Pump
A heat pump works like an air conditioner, as it uses a condenser unit to provide conditioned air to your home. However, the main difference between a heat pump and your air conditioner is that it also provides heating in the winter. Although a heat pump may not help you lower your energy costs drastically over the summer, it will help lower your winter heating costs. Lower heating costs can help even out your budget across the span of the seasons.
Tingley Home Services has been a trusted provider of HVAC and electrical services for more than two decades. We provide skilled heating and cooling repairs, maintenance, and installation services to residents of Milford and the surrounding areas. We also have a dedicated team of electricians to help with household repairs, installation of new fixtures and appliances, EV chargers, and generators. Our team is highly skilled, with an emphasis on professional and courteous service.
Keep your home cool this summer without breaking the bank. Contact Tingley Home Services today for help keeping your Milford home comfortable with energy-efficient solutions.
