Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Summer has arrived in Western New York, and this week is set to pack a punch with potentially record-setting heat.
The heat arrived over the weekend locally, with some areas reaching into the middle 80s. It is expected for the heat to continue to rise Monday and Tuesday, with the mercury reaching upwards of 90 degrees, and the heat index potentially closing in on the 100-degree mark.
It's expected for the heat to cool down into the lower 80s after Tuesday, and remain there for the rest of the week.
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With temperatures on the rise, that means an increased usage of air conditioning in order to stay cool.
Domenic Cortese from "Hammer Time Radio" on WBEN warns residents if you're trying to turn something on for the first time and hope it works, it's likely not a good plan.
"You should invest the time to calendar a seasonal inspection of your major systems, especially your air conditioning as we go into the warmer months, so that you can count on it to be there when you need it. That's certainly a responsible way of going about maintaining your systems, is planning ahead for what might be coming, as opposed to waiting until it's too late," shared Cortese.
While some have central air conditioning units they will need to get serviced every year to ensure it's working properly, others rely on other forms of air conditioning in their home like window units. However, when the temperature begins to rise, the availability of window units may become a question.
"I think you might find when we have a surge of temperature, the sale of those window units will be a hot commodity, and you might see them not available, if you wait until it's too hot to go buy them," Cortese said. "Again, think ahead, plan, and if you think about something off schedule and off season, not only you might find a better selection, but also you might find it's at a better price."
If anyone may be heading out to your local hardware store to try and find a new window air conditioning unit, Cortese reminds folks to keep in mind one simple factor with finding the right unit for your residence.
"You need to pay attention to the size of the room that you're putting them in, as to what their capacity is on the output side," he said.
If you can't find a brand new unit available this summer, then maybe a quick search on a site like Facebook Marketplace can be a solution to beat the heat. However, Cortese points out one issue with any air conditioner now, and that's largely tied to the gas that's needed to charge the system.
"The portable units are really not chargeable. So they may be depleted of their gases, and they may not work as well. So be aware of that if you are buying a used unit," Cortese said. "If you have a whole house system, also be aware that if it hasn't been serviced, you may run into restrictions now on the kind of charging systems that are approved federally for use, and the gas supply, in some cases, is limited."
What's one way you can efficiently get the most out of your air conditioning unit and stay cool with the hot weather this summer?
"You'd be surprised at how much a little attic ventilation will do to help reduce the house temperature," Cortese noted. "If you can think about a way to ventilate your attic, whether it'd be a whole house fan or some way to increase air flow through your attic to reduce its temperature, that will definitely have a dramatic impact on the load and the temperature of your home. And any air currents you can create to achieve that air flow, whether it'd be even through the living space.
And if you may have a pull-down attic staircase, Cortese has another helpful tip:
"Another thing to do if you have a whole house fan is prop that open, you create a chimney effect to move the hot air through the house. So moving air will help reduce the air conditioning load," he said.