Feeling a Winter Chill INSIDE your Home? Check your AC Unit!

Imagine this: You feel a winter chill and set the thermostat to stay nice and toasty. You then curl up on the couch and turn on the TV to enjoy a movie.  But even with the heater cranked up, the room doesn’t seem to get any warmer.  You reach for a throw blanket, but still feel cold; it’s just not comfortable and now you can’t even concentrate on the movie because you’re worried about why your home’s so cold and how this will affect your electric bill.  If you’re like most homeowners, you probably don’t have to imagine any of this. It’s a reality, every fall and winter, like clockwork.  It is possible that it could be as simple as checking your AC unit.

For example, does your AC unit cover your whole house?  If you have a two-story home, just one heating and cooling system won’t cut it. You really need two separate units to control what, essentially, are two separate homes.  Of course, what’s ideal and what’s realistic are often two different things. Having two systems would boost overall comfort on each level, but it also would significantly boost air conditioning costs, and that may not be in your long-term budget.  So, here is a compromise: consider upgrading to a zoned ducted system. You just need one heat pump and as many motor-driven dampers to monitor and control airflow in each zone, whether it’s the kitchen, the living room or the bedrooms.  Keep in mind there’s another benefit to zoned air conditioning: You can save energy by heating only the spaces that you use.

And while you’re checking on that AC, when was the last time you scheduled maintenance?  You may be able to replace an air filter, but can you clean out the heating and cooling system’s drain hole? Can you check its refrigerant levels? Can you lubricate and inspect all of its parts for functioning?  There are some things that you just have to leave to the experts, and that’s where annual tune-ups come in.  Professional maintenance visits can help you rest assured that your system isn’t just working, but that it is doing so optimally.

Now, if you’ve tried everything else, and your home is still cold, it’s time to call in the experts!

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Photo Credit:  Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock.com