Owning a home comes with a lot of responsibility. More often than not, friends and family will be there to share some “helpful tips” with you. But sometimes, those “tips” aren’t handy at all. For example, we’ve all been told to keep the windows closed when the AC runs or turn the fans on to help the HVAC. But are these household tips true? Do they help you save some money? We’re going to take a look at 5 common HVAC myths and determine whether they may be helpful to you.
Myth 1: Turning your fans on will actually help your HVAC
Status: False
Turning your fans on to “help cool the home quicker” simply isn’t a thing. While a fan can help you circulate the air in your home, it doesn’t make the room cooler. Fans work to enhance the room’s temperature, whatever it is, even when it’s warm. A ceiling fan may help with the illusion of feeling cool as it moves the air and creates a wind chill effect. But having the fans constantly running in your home won’t help you save money; it’s likely just adding to your bill.
Myth 2: Opening the windows lets the cool air out
Status: True
This helpful tip is actually beneficial! Keeping the windows closed on a hot day while running the air conditioner will help keep your home cool. Letting the windows open will create more work for your AC as it tries to cool both the inside and outside of your home. You may be able to leave windows open on a cool day, but it’s best to keep them closed during the hot summer when the AC is on.
Myth 3: Getting a bigger HVAC system will be better
Status: It depends
You may have heard that getting a larger HVAC system will help you keep your home cool better. But it’s a lot more complicated than that. Your HVAC size should be relative to the size of your home and the amount of space that you’re trying to heat/cool. Having a too-small system may mean your system is working too hard. Having a too large system may mean you’re wasting energy on cooling/heating spaces that don’t need it. It’s important to get the appropriate size HVAC units for your home to run at their most efficient levels.
Myth 4: Thermostat Placement Matters
Status: True
Your thermostat placement matters a lot. The thermostat placement can affect temperature dips causing your HVAC to work less efficiently. For example, placing it near the following may affect how it reads the temperature in a room.
- Near kitchen appliances
- Indirect sunlight
- On an interior wall
- Not near any windows
Myth 5: Cranking the thermostat will cool the home faster
Status: False
You may have heard that cranking the temperature, either higher or lower, than what you want will get your home to temp quicker. But this isn’t true; it’ll just get you to waste your money. Likely you’ll turn it up or down and then forget about it, meaning your HVAC is running harder than is necessary. It’s best to set the temperature to what you want and let the HVAC do the rest.
We hope that going through these HVAC myths has helped you better understand your unit. As always, Miller’s is here for you. Our team of HVAC experts is happy to answer any questions you may have regarding your system. Whether you’re looking for installations or repairs, our team is there to help. Just call (804) 758-4314 today!