What's the optimal way to combine a fan with an air conditioner? May 30, 2006   Subscribe What's the optimal way to combine a fan with an air conditioner? I have an air conditioner (building supplied HVAC unit), but while the air coming directly out of the vent is cold, it doesn't do an effective job of cooling the room. I have a reasonably powerful vornado floor fan (more than one, actually, if needed). Where's the best place to put the fan? Should I blow air across the room to the air conditioner, or should I put the fan on top of the AC vent and blow the cold air into the room? (Apologies if this has been asked before. The only similar question I could find was this, which doesn't really answer my question.Parts of your body are sticking to other parts of your body, and it's horrible. Lucky for you, you've got air conditioning. Unlucky for you, A/C is a real punisher on the power bill. Here are a few tips for maximizing your cool without crippling your bank account.

You've been sweating your face off outside, and nothing feels better than coming in to a nice, cold room. Your impulse will be to set your A/C to 66 degrees and let it get nice and nippy. Keep it set to 78 degrees. You don't need to be cold, you just need to be comfortable. For every degree below 78, you are increasing your energy usage by approximately 8%. You don't need to be indoors in a sweatshirt. Keep it at 78 or higher and rock a t-shirt and shorts. If you have a window unit with Low, Med, and Hi as your only options, keep it as low as you can handle.It's better to use your A/C minimally and have one cool room than to have your A/C maxed out and have your whole apartment only marginally less blistering. If you don't have a door that you can close between rooms, improvise! Hang a thick blanket in between rooms to create a nice cool-box that doesn't stress your A/C. (I recommend using picture-frame hangers, and then threading a few safety pins into the blanket so it's easy to put up and take down.)

Ceiling fans use waaaay less power than an A/C unit, consuming about the same amount of energy as a 100w light bulb, which isn't too bad, comparatively. Make sure the fan is going in the correct direction so that it is pushing air downward toward you (the higher edge of the fan-blade should be the leading edge in its rotation). Ceiling fans don't actually make the room cooler, but they make you feel cooler when they're blowing on you (think wind-chill). As with an A/C unit, if you're not in that room, turn your fan off.Your A/C unit has a filter. It's thin, light, easily removable, and if you've never seen it then it's probably pretty disgusting right now. Pull it out, stick it in the shower, and give it a good once-over with a sponge. Let it dry then put it back in—and be thankful you aren't breathing that crap anymore. This will increase the unit's output and lower the temp. The other half of this is keeping the coil clean. If you're on the ground floor, then it's pretty easy: just use a garden hose to blast some water into the unit through the grates at the top and the sides.

If you're on an upper floor of an apartment building, you're going to have to get creative. Try using a portable, pumpable paint-sprayer (but use water, not paint… duh).This one's a twofer. Keeping your air conditioning unit in the shade can make it up to 10% more efficient. If you have means to build a shade for it (that's not too close so there's no vent blockage), by all means, do it.how much to install a central ac unitThe other half of this is shading your apartment. new ac unit azWe covered some of this recently in our article on low-budget cooling, but this especially applies when using A/C. central ac best brandsWhen it's hot and sunny lower your blinds, yes, obviously, but if you really want to see a difference get yourself some honeycomb blinds (also called celular shades).

They are fantastic insulators. They will help keep the cooled air in during the summer and they're great for the winter when you want to keep the cold air out (and they can darken the hell out of a room for a more cinematic movie viewing experience). They will reduce your bill and start paying for themselves very quickly. There are many other things you can do to stretch your A/C, but these are the quickest, easiest, and cheapest. If you have more tips, leave 'em in the comments.There are few routine household maintenance chores that pay off more than keeping a maintenance schedule for your air conditioning unit. Not only will you give yourself the best chance at staying cool all summer and avoiding emergency breakdowns, but you’ll also save money on your energy bills. A well maintained AC unit will run more efficiently, use less energy, and cost less money to run. A properly maintained system will also last longer before needing to be replaced. It should be noted that there are some tasks that can be done by the average homeowner, but others should not be performed by anyone who doesn’t have the proper training and a license.

If at any time you are uncomfortable with performing maintenance tasks yourself, never hesitate to call on a professional to do it for you. Always observe safety precautions; and before you perform any work on your outdoor unit, ALWAYS shut down the power to the unit at your electrical box first. Replacing your air conditioner air filter (or cleaning it, if you have a reusable filter) is one of the most important regular AC maintenance chores. It should be done every month during high-use seasons (like summer and winter) and once during the fall and spring. When the filter becomes full of dust, dirt and allergen particles, the air flow will decrease, making your system work harder than it should have to. The air flowing through your system may also become dirtier, dustier, and prone to triggering allergy and asthma symptoms for those residing in the home. Before working on an air conditioner, ALWAYS start by turning off the power to the unit, which can be done at the service disconnect on your outdoor unit or at the main breaker panel of your home.

Next, remove the access panel on your condensing unit and see if you see any signs of overheating – melted insulation on wires, blackened or burned-looking wires, and the like. You can also check any electrical connections to make sure they are tight. If you own an electrical test meter, you can check the capacitors in the unit. Take a look at the contactor switch, and replace it if you see excessive pitting. If you see any of the above problems and do not feel comfortable replacing the parts yourself, always call a local heating and air conditioning expert to do the work for you. Check your thermostat to make sure it’s working properly and keeps your home at the right temperature. If you have an older, mechanical type thermostat, you may want to consider upgrading to a programmable model. A programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature higher when no one is home (do not turn the AC off, just up), and cool the house down about 30 minutes before people arrive home for the evening.

That way you’ll always have a comfortable home waiting for you, and you’ll save energy and money by not having your AC running all day when no one is at home. Turn the power off to your air conditioner unit, and check the fan mounted on the top of the outside condenser unit to make sure it’s still in good condition. Replace the fan blades if there are any cracks or chips visible in one or more of the blades. If you have an older air conditioner unit, the fan motor bearings may need to be oiled regularly as well. Over time leaves, dirt, grass clippings and the like will build up on the outside of the air conditioner unit, decreasing system capacity and reducing air flow. After shutting off the power to the unit, use a garden hose to gently wash out the debris, starting at the top with the hose at about a 45° angle. Do NOT use a power washer, and take care not to bend or damage the delicate fins on the coil. You should also trim any shrubs or other plants back from around your air conditioner to keep from impeding air flow to and from the unit.