Summer is fast approaching, and you need to do everything that you can to ensure that you stay cool during those hot summer nights. Everyone has the same problem at least once every summer; the air conditioner is running, but it just isn’t getting cool in your home. So what can you do to help keep your air conditioner working at its optimal efficiency? There are a few tips that anyone can use to help their home stay cool during the summer months maximizing your air conditioner’s efficiency and also helping to reduce your electricity bills.

Clean Your Air Conditioner

One of the most important ways to help your air conditioner be more effective and keep your home cooler during the hot and humid summer months is to clean your air conditioner on a regular basis. Cleaning your air conditioner will help it to work in a more effective manner.

Not only will it help your AC to work better but it will also help your air conditioner from needing costly maintenance procedures. The efficiency that you achieve with a cleaner air conditioning unit will provide you with months upon months of well-controlled climate.

Buy A New Filter

Buying a new filter for your air conditioner can work to help make your unit run more efficiently. Not every air conditioner will have a need for a new filter because many of them come with a washable filter. However, sometimes all the washing in the world might not work to get that filter clean. When you’ve reached that point of need, you should try to purchase a new filter from your air conditioners manufacturer. You could boost the efficiency by a number of percentage points by purchasing a new filter.

Keep Your Drapes Closed During the Day

Another way that you can help your air conditioning unit work more efficiently for your home is to close your drapes during the day. When you keep your drapes or blinds closed during the day, you are able to deflect some sun. Doing this will keep the inside of your home much cooler than if you allowed the sun to beam into your home all day.

Deflecting heat energy is an important tactic in the battle against hot, stifling homes. In order to maximize your deflection, it is best to use white blinds as the white color is more effective and scattering the heat back into the atmosphere instead of absorbing the heat.

Use Ceiling Fans

Using ceiling fans is a great trick in keeping your home cooler in the summer. When you use a ceiling fan as an accompaniment to your air conditioner you allow the fan to move the air in the room and make the room feel cooler. Using a fan is a great tactic to use because not only does it help you to feel cooler, it also helps you to save money on your electricity bill. What better way to make yourself feel cooler than by also saving money at the same time!

Have Your Air Conditioner Serviced Annually

Having your air conditioner serviced annually from a company like Bob Heinmiller AC is a great way to ensure that your AC unit is working at optimal efficiency. Additionally, when you have your air conditioner serviced on a regular basis it allows you to not only keep you air conditioner running well, but also helps you to avoid costly emergency repairs.

Doing everything to avoid an air conditioning malfunction not only helps you to save money but helps you to avoid having to deal with sweltering conditions in your home on those beautiful but extremely hot summer days.

Lautaro Martinez is a freelance writer and homeowner who contirbutes cost effective home improvement articles.