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Air Conditioner Energy Savers

Today, 64 percent of American homes have air conditioners. But they use a large amount of electricity. On an average summer day, air conditioners provide enough cold air to 16 trillion ice cubes!!

Air conditioners are evaluated in two ways-by cooling capacity and by energy efficiency ratio (EER). Cooling capacity is the amount of heat (measured in Btu) that an air conditioning unit can remove from the air in one hour. A 12,000 Btu air conditioner will remove 12,000 Btu of heat from and area every hour. As a general rule, 18 Btu removed per hour will cool about one square foot of a normal home.

EER is the number of Btu of heat that one watt of electrical energy will remove from the air in one hour. The EER is determined by dividing the capacity in Btu per hour of a unit by its required power in watts. You should try to buy a unit with an EER of 8 or above.

Here are simple ways to make your window unit air conditioner more efficient: To cool your house efficiently, your air conditioner has to be cool. So try to keep it in the shade. An air conditioner exposed to direct sunlight will use 5 percent more energy than a shaded one.

Turn the air conditioner off when you leave the house for several hours or more. Set your home’s thermostat as high as possible-the recommended minimum energy- efficient summer temperature is 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Care for the coils. If they’re dirty, dusty or clogged with leaves, vacuum them with your household vacuum cleaner. If the attachment on the vacuum won’t fit between the coils, reverse the air flow and blow the dirt away instead.

Don’t forget the filters. A clogged filter can cause an air conditioner to use up to 5 percent more energy. Permanent filters should be cleaned according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Disposable filters should be replaced at least once at the beginning of the cooling season.

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