Some Energy Efficient Features to Consider For a Home's Central Air Conditioner
Your home's central air conditioner is a major investment in your overall comfort, but it can also be a major consumer of power as well. This is why it's good to consider as many energy efficient features of an air conditioner that you can, so you know you get a unit that uses the least amount of energy possible when cooling your home. This will result in lower electric bills during the summer and also less pollution created from electric power plants. Note a few of those features here.
1. Automatic delay fan switch
This switch will shut down the compressor of the air conditioner when the temperature is getting close to that set on the thermostat and then simply run the fan for several more minutes. This allows the unit to use the residual cool air that is in the unit and circulate that through the home, rather than switching on the compressor and other parts to create more cool air. In turn, the unit will use less electricity by running the fan only, but you may not notice a difference in the home's overall temperature.
2. Filter indicator
Changing out the filter of your air conditioner is one of the best ways to keep the unit functioning efficiently, as a clogged filter means the unit will work harder to cool the air that passes through the filter, and it may need to run longer in order to lower the room's temperature. A filter indicator will tell you when the filter needs changing so you can ensure it's always in good condition and the air conditioner is functioning optimally.
3. Oversized coils
The larger the coils of the air conditioner, the more efficiently it will pull heat from a room and cool the air being blown through the ductwork. Choose an air conditioner with oversized coils so it removes heat quicker and may need to run less often in order to cool the space.
4. Zone cooling
When having your air conditioner installed, opt for zone cooling. This allows you to set different temperatures in different parts of the home. You won't be running the central air as often or as long in order to cool the upstairs rooms when they're unoccupied, or can turn off the zone in the kitchen if you've got the stove turned on during the day but aren't actually in the kitchen. The unit will still cool the living room and dining areas without wasting power on keeping the kitchen cool at the same time.
For more information about these and other features you may want for your air conditioning, contact a local HVAC company.