Summer is a hot season that brings along with it the need for cool air inside your home. However, you may have noticed that there are times that it takes a while for your air conditioner to cool down your home, or observed a sudden spike in your energy bills. Both are caused by your cooling load, which most homeowners assume is out of their hands. With that in mind, it’s important to become informed about the factors that can affect it.
In this post, Dependable Heating & Air Conditioning, one of the best HVAC maintenance companies in the area, discusses the six things that affect your home’s cooling load the most.
Outdoor Temperature and Humidity – The notion that your home’s cooling load is out of your hands is true in some ways, as there are a few affecting factors that you can’t do anything about. One of these is the outdoor temperature, and the other is humidity. Unfortunately, the higher the heat and humidity are for the day, the greater your home’s cooling load will be.
Home Size – The size of your home is another factor that can affect your cooling load. The larger your home is, the bigger the cooling load becomes to make sure all your rooms are kept comfortable.
Home Direction – Homeowners often forget to take the direction their home faces into account when looking at their cooling load. Homes that face south or west are more susceptible to heat infiltration since they’re in the path of direct sunlight, which greatly increases the cooling load compared to homes facing north or east. Like your home size and the outdoor temperature, this is an irreversible factor.
Air Leaks – According to HVAC companies, air leaks are preventable factors that affect your cooling load, and are one of the leading ways that hot air gets into your home. As regularly as possible, have a professional inspect your home for any air leakage so they can tightly seal them up as quickly as possible to avoid straining the cooling load too much.
Insulation – Insulation plays an important role in your home’s heating and cooling, and ultimately your energy efficiency. The better insulated your home is, the less outdoor heat will be able to flow into your home. Have insulation with the proper R-values professionally installed in your home to lower your cooling load.
Heat Infiltration – One of the main purposes of your windows is to allow heat from the sun to warm up your home. While this is helpful in the winter, the same can’t be said for the summertime. You can control the amount of heat that enters your home in the summer to some extent by putting up shades or installing more energy-efficient windows. That way, your cooling loads are significantly reduced while still allowing natural light into your home.
Make your search for HVAC installation contractors easier by turning to Dependable Heating & Air Conditioning, your leading provider of AC and furnace repair services.