Looking for Summer Energy Savings? 4 Myths That May Be Hindering Your Plan

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When temperatures soar outside, it’s up to you to adopt the correct practices for summer energy savings. Unfortunately, many myths surround the most effective ways to beat the heat. Here are five to watch out for:

  1. MYTH: Cranking down the thermostat cools the house faster. Unless you have a variable-speed air handler that changes the output level to match demand, your air conditioner has a single speed: on. An air conditioner turning on is like flipping a light switch, not pushing a gas pedal. Cranking the thermostat down to 70 degrees doesn’t make a difference and could actually end up wasting money by overshooting the target temperature.
  2. MYTH: Turning off the A/C while you’re gone saves the most energy. This one isn’t too far off. It’s less wasteful to turn off the A/C than to have it maintain a balmy 75 degrees while no one’s home, but the best option is to turn the temperature up 10 degrees. A programmable thermostat can restore a comfortable temperature in time for your return.
  3. MYTH: Running ceiling fans cools the room. Actually, the air movement cools people, not the air. The wind chill effect makes you feel about 4 degrees cooler, but leaving the ceiling fan on in an empty room is a waste of energy.
  4. MYTH: Closing supply registers boosts efficiency. If you close over 20 percent of your home’s registers, you could end up paying big time. Unused spaces don’t get as cool, which may seem like a positive, but you’re basically paying to keep the ductwork frosty. Plus, closing vents in a balanced system could cause excess wear and tear on the compressor and condenser, resulting in the need for more repairs.

To learn more tips for summer energy savings, contact Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’ve been serving the greater Cincinnati area since 1910.

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"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
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