Summer is a great time to have an air conditioner, but it is also the time of year when most air conditioners begin to degrade and fail due to the constant use and strain, which can lead to very expensive repairs or replacements. However, there are a few ways to reduce the load and strain on your system, such as the three listed below.

Blackout Curtains

One of the biggest contributors to the heat within your home is your windows. Even if you have curtains and blinds in place, there is still a good chance that a lot of sunlight is getting into your house, which is causing the ambient temperature within the home to increase over the course of the day and forcing your air conditioner to work harder to cool the home. However, blackout curtains are a good way to prevent this as some blackout curtains can block out about 99% of the light that reaches them.

Turn Off The Lights

While it may not seem like the lights in your house are a major heat source, the truth is that if you leave them on throughout the day they can easily increase the temperature within the house by a few degrees. Add those degrees to the already hot summer temperatures outside, and you will end up with a house that is hotter than necessary. However, if you make sure that all of your unnecessary lights are turned off all day, you can reduce the strain on your air conditioner.

Avoid Ridiculous Thermostat Settings

Finally, you will want to avoid setting ridiculously low thermostat settings when you turn on your air conditioner. Sure, setting your thermostat to 50 degrees or less may seem very tempting during a particularly hot day, but that will put a tremendous strain on your air conditioner and dramatically increase your utility bills.

The reason for this is that your air conditioner is not going to start blowing out colder air just because you set your thermostat to a very low temperature, it just means that your unit will force itself to stay on until your house reaches that temperature, which can take a very long time. Forcing your air conditioner to stay on for a long time during a very hot day can lead to permanent damage to the unit.

Contact an HVAC contractor today by going to http://www.smedleyservice.com in order to discuss what you can do to make your air conditioner last longer and work more efficiently. Utilizing blackout curtains, turning off the lights, and avoiding extremely low thermostat settings are all good ways to reduce the strain on your system and increase its lifespan.