Do you change the oil in your car? Do you change the filters every 30 days? Why would you assume that something designed by, installed by man would not need a check up? I have my unit checked every year before I need it. Cheap insurance as far as I am concerned.
Where I live has been more humid than usual this year. Yep the bill had climbed a bit.
This is the third summer of usage for our air conditioning unit. It's an external unit that works through the central forced air system.
This summer the KW hrs usage is up about 60 pct over the last two summers. Obviously, settings and weather influence it, but I'm wondering if it could be that it needs maintenance of some kind that would make it more efficient and use less electricity.
Any thoughts or ideas what I should look for to make sure it's not running inefficiently?
Gracias
You've been very new to the HVAC field for quite a few years...
I'd call for a clean and check from a local HVAC company. Ask your friends and relatives who they use.
I'm very new to the heating and aC field. However, I assure you from personal experience that a dirty AC system can use a LOT more electricity. And a dirty AC doesn't cool as well. You will likely save the cost of the service in lower electric.
In addition to the clean and check and perhaps even something you can do, is inspect any ductwork you can get to. A small rodent sized hole in a duct can dump a lot of cold air into the attic. You can also have joints blow open and boxes get damaged.
The indoor coil get filthy over a period of time and becomes very inefficient. Even with regular filter changes, your coil could likely use a good cleaning.
And in about five more years, I'll be a slightly experienced tech.
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