Yep, at least on the East Coast, it’s been a hot one; and keeping your home cool can be an expensive task. For many homeowners and renters alike, a window-unit air conditioner is the way you keep your home cool. I apply. Most of the apartments and homes that I manage apply too. In my own home (detached single family), I only need two window units to keep my entire house comfortable (one on each floor) and here’s why:

SIZE MATTERS

It is important to have a window-unit air conditioner that fits the need of the space where it’s installed. Air conditioners are constructed to cool a room by removing warm air AND humidity. If the unit is too large, it will cool the room too quickly before it has the opportunity to remove the humidity. It could make the space uncomfortably cool before it can attain a comfortable humidity level. A unit too small for the room will run too long to adequately cool it. Both scenarios waste money and energy. Source: www.consumerenergycenter.org. Go here to find out what size air conditioner is right for your space.

KEEP IT CLEAN!

Make sure to check your filter often and when dirty, remove it and wash it well. I rinse mine down in the sink and then let them fully dry before re-installing them. It is easy and only takes 10 minutes and will allow your units to operate more efficiently.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Where you install your A/C unit is key. For us Northern Hemispherians, during the summer months, the sun rises in the northeast (not directly from the east, as it does in the spring and fall) and sets in the northwest. If possible, position your units away from the northeast and northwest of your home to keep the sun from pounding on them or position them in an area of shade. This will help them work much more efficiently.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Make sure to install the unit into the window securely, so that it doesn’t fall out (trust me, it happens) and, if on the first floor, secure the unit so someone can’t remove it from the outside and break into your house. Finally, take your A/C unit out of the window and store it when summer is over. It is extremely inefficient to heat your home or apartment with an A/C unit in a window.

Keep cool and visit us at www.www.hometownprops.com anytime.

Sam Gorgone, Hometown Property Management Services, LLC