This summer has been hot and when you add a heatwave on top of the regular heat, being outside can be downright unbearable. But when you’re inside your home, you expect to be cool and comfortable. The thing is, your air conditioner may not be able to keep up with cooling your home to your usual standard during a heatwave.
Pushing your air conditioner too hard in the middle of a heatwave can leave you calling our team to schedule an appointment for air conditioning repair in Calgary, AB. But when you understand what to expect out of your air conditioner during a heatwave, you can adjust your settings and still keep cool. Read more to learn about air conditioning settings for a heatwave as well as other tips for staying cool.
Understanding AC Cooling
Your air conditioner can only cool your home to a maximum of 20° lower than the outdoor air temperature. On a normal summer day, this isn’t a problem. But when a heatwave rolls through and temperatures are in the high 30s or low 40s, your home may not feel as cool as you want it to. You may be tempted to drastically lower your thermostat settings, but that won’t help. Instead, your air conditioner will just be working harder without ever being able to reach the results that you want.
Thermostat Settings
In fact, you should actually set your thermostat a little higher than you normally would during a heatwave so your AC doesn’t overheat and break down. We can hear the collective groan from our audience as we share this, but it is true. If the temperature outside is 42° C, your air conditioner will not realistically be able to get your home any cooler than about 22° C and it may struggle to reach that temperature.
During extreme heat, it’s recommended that you set your AC no lower than 25° C to reduce the strain on your air conditioner and allow it to cool your home more effectively within limitations. Remember, the heatwave is temporary and once it passes you can set your thermostat back to your usual settings.
The recommended air conditioner temperature setting under normal conditions is between 22-26°C. Setting your thermostat higher when temperatures skyrocket can reduce your energy costs, reduce strain on the power grid, as well as reduce system strain on your own AC.
Tips for Staying Cool
But there are other ways to stay cool aside from your central air conditioner. You can also turn on the fans in your home. Even though ceiling fans do not actually lower the temperature of the air in your home, they can make the air feel much cooler than it really is. And when you’re in a heatwave, every bit of cooling power at your disposal helps. If you don’t already have ceiling fans installed, you can invest in floor fans instead.
Feeling airflow move around you can naturally make you feel more comfortable. You can also take advantage of opening your windows and doors early in the morning and late in the evening when temperatures are cooler to get that cooler air into your home.
Contact Ace Plumbing and Heating today to schedule an appointment for your plumbing and HVAC needs. Happy Today or You Don’t Pay!