When you think about the prospect of a summer outage and how to prepare should one occur, one can easily get overwhelmed with thoughts of how long will it last?  Should we pack up and find a place to stay or tough it out at home?  What about the food – will it spoil and how long does that take?  And on and on it goes.

Well, another byproduct of a summer power outage is losing our air conditioning.  How long it might last is anyone’s guess.  But isn’t better to prepare in advance for an extended power outage than no power outage at all?

So, from your friends at Absolute Air, here are some effective ways to keep cool should you lose your AC – however temporarily – for any reason at all, including a system breakdown:

Sleeping: If you are without power, simply hang your sheets and blankets in the coolest part of the house until bedtime. Allowing air to circulate around the sheets will keep them cool, so hang them up in the basement, a closet, or even in the shade of a tree until bedtime.

Stay hydrated: Drinking a glass of water can keep your body cool for up to an hour. Be sure to drink even if you aren’t thirsty, and remember that the body loses a lot of water through sweating. Other ways to cool off are with a sprinkler, misting fan, or putting your feet in cold water.

Change your diet: Eat spicy food when the AC is off – are we crazy?  Not at all.  Because doing wo will make you perspire, and perspiration helps you cool off.  In times of no AC, you’ll also want to load up on fruits and vegetables which are natural sources of water and electrolytes.

Cool the house: Keep the house cool by keeping the shades closed, lights off, and cook on the grill, with a crockpot, or enjoy take out. Anything to keep from adding heat to your home!

Circulate the air: Let’s say your AC is down because of a repair issue, and not a power outage.  What other means do you have of cooling your house?  How about a cold air return system which pulls the air from the cool basement into the house? An attic fan also can quickly pull the hot air up through the house, pulling in cooler air behind it. If the electricity is temporarily out you can still move air the old fashion way. No, not by having the kids fan you! Hot air rises, so opening the top half of the windows can vent out the warm air forcing the cool air from other parts of the house to replace it.

Doesn’t sound like much fun, does it?  Well, while we certainly hope you’re never without central air, sooner or later it’s bound to happen.  And when it does for reasons other than a power outage, you can count on Absolute Air to restore your cool, comfortable air promptly and reliably.  Just like always.

At least in one very important way, you and your AC system are a lot alike:  the less stress you’re under, the better and more productively you’re likely to perform.

And while you may be looking for some tips on personal stress relief, that’s a blog for another time.  Today, we’d like to offer you several useful and effective tips for reducing stress on your AC system so it will last longer and serve you better with fewer repair problems along the way:

• Keep your home as dark as possible and practical during AC system operation. By doing so, you’re lessening the amount of heat it has to disperse.

• The less you use your stove and oven during the summer months, the less stress on your AC system.

• Shore up any gaps in your insulation, caulking and weather stripping so cool air isn’t allowed to escape, and hot outdoor air isn’t allowed to enter.

• When running your dishwasher, washing machine and dryer, always run a full load. That reduces the amount of time you’ll use these appliances, and that means less internal heat.

• If you’ve been thinking about painting or siding the outside of your home, think “light colors”. Darker colors attract more sun and heat.

• Install one or more ceiling fans to push the cool air back down, thus enabling you to stay cool at higher thermostat settings.

• Invest in one or more programmable thermostats, especially if your house is empty for long periods of time during the day. That way your home will be nice and cool when you return without wasting gobs of energy while you’re away.

Another great way to minimize the stress on your AC system is with annual preventative maintenance, a specialty of the house here at Absolute Air.  At your request, we’ll come out and perform our multi-point tune-up and inspection to ensure its more effective operation while also helping you enjoy reduced electricity bills and a safer home environment.

Today’s high-efficiency air conditioners use about 30% to 50% less energy than made about two decades ago. As such, you could cut your energy costs by up to 40% by replacing your older system now.

Still, the efficiency of the “box” itself is just part of the energy saving story.  To save all you can, your system needs to be properly sized.  One measure of system size is the amount British Thermal Units (BTUs) of heat a system can remove per hour. Another common rating term for air conditioning size is “ton,” with one ton equal to 12,000 BTUs per hour.

Before Absolute Air recommends the right size for your new or replacement AC system, we first take into account:

• The size of your home and the number of windows.
• The amount of shade that falls on your home’s windows, walls, and roof
• The amount and placement of insulation.
• How much air is leaking in or out of your home, and from where.
• How much heat is generated by the occupants and other appliances on a normal day.

Why is it so important to recommend and install exactly the right size system?  Because anything smaller or larger than “right” will incur needless added wear and tear and not provide you with the maximum return on your investment.

To learn more or request a free in-home consultation and new AC system proposal, contact Absolute Air today.  We’re here to make sure you get your money’s worth, and then some.

Do you turn the thermostat up to 76 or even higher during those summer days when no one’s going to be home?  Lots of people do to cut down on their air conditioning energy costs.  But the second you get home, especially on a hot, humid day, chances are you make a mad dash to the thermostat to cool things off for a nice relaxing evening.

But what happens when a thermostat setting no longer delivers an indoor temperature of the same number?  Do you just shrug your shoulders and lower the thermostat a little more?  If so, we’d like to suggest doing one other thing so perhaps you won’t have to adjust the thermostat and incur more energy expense.  And that is:  check and be prepared to clean your AC filter.  begun.

The dirtier it gets, the harder your AC system has to work to reach the desired temperature.  Not only does that cause your energy bill to spike, it also means greater system wear and tear and, if left unattended for lengthy periods of time, a shorter system lifespan.  Plus, at least some of the dirt, bacteria, and other pollutants attached to your filter get blown by the system’s fan into your ductwork and eventually your living spaces and lungs.  And these are the airborne pollutants known to cause and/or aggravate allergies, asthma, and other upper respiratory problems.

At Absolute Air, we recommend following the instructions on your filter’s package for how and how frequently to check and clean your filter.  If you don’t have such a package handy and you’re committed to proper AC system maintenance, then plan to start checking the filter every 60 days and then clean or replace it as you deem appropriate.

For even greater airflow distribution along with cleaner air and more energy efficient system operation, be sure to have your heating and cooling systems professionally cleaned and inspected once a year each by the home comfort professionals at Absolute Air.  In the process, we do much more than check and clean or replace your filters.  We follow a multi-step process that leads to overall improved system performance plus greater safety for your home and family.

Has it been a year or longer since your last AC or furnace inspection?  If so, contact Absolute Air today to get the quality of service every family deserves.