Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - With the heat making its return to Western New York to start the week, many will be looking for relief thanks to the help of their central air conditioning at work or from the comfort of their own home.
Temperatures across the region this week will remain in the 80s throughout, with some areas pushing the mid-to-upper 80s and heat indexes reaching even higher into the 90s.
But how can you make the most of your air conditioning this summer on the hottest of days?
Ryan Mullen from PCS Plumbing says one good tip would be to not set your air conditioning too low.
"Obviously we're all very warm and we want to be as cool as possible, but you have to be realistic on those warm days that your unit, more than likely, if it's super hot, it's not going to get down to 68, 69 degrees," Mullen said in an interview with WBEN.
Domenic Cortese from "Hammertime Radio" on WBEN says there are techniques anyone can employ to lighten the load on their air conditioning, while also lightening the load on the electric grid, and help on utility consumption.
"Some simple techniques and tips would include raising the temperature a little bit, that does help. I know our comfort is important, but raising the temperature a bit will still help reduce humidity and make the home more comfortable," Cortese said.
Both Mullen and Cortese say another thing people can try and do is lighten the burden on their air conditioning by utilizing shading.
"Shading on the sun side, if you can find a way to shade that side of the house, whether it'd be with curtains, pull shades, drop curtains of any kind, that will help. And also a tree that's planted appropriately will help long-term to help shade that side of the house," Cortese added.
Another old school way to get the most out of an air conditioner and cool down your house efficiently is cross ventilation, where you introduce cool air from the one side of the house and exhaust it out to the hot side of the house.
"For a second story house, typically upstairs is always going to be a lot warmer than downstairs, so you could take a fan and blow the air up towards the second floor to help air flow," Mullen said.
Cortese adds another effective tip to cool your house with the help of an air conditioner is to reduce the temperature of your attic.
"If you can keep the air flow in your attic flowing, you can lighten the load on your AC," he said. "And you simply can do that with a couple techniques: One is simply a fan running in your attic that's connected to a rough louver or a gable vent, can move the air out of your attic and help reduce its temperature. Whenever we reduce the temperature on the extremities of our house, we lighten the load on our AC."
When you may be away from home, is it better to leave the house cool throughout the day, or leave it warmer and then cool it down once you get home? Cortese says that depends on how long you are going to be gone.
"If you're just going to work and coming home, it's better to leave it alone, because the recovery time may be more expensive and more uncomfortable as well," Cortese said. "Where if you're gone for an extended period of time, if you're on vacation, let's say, it makes sense. Bring that temperature up 4, 5, 6 degrees, and then you can obviously have that time to recover when you get back. You can expect it to be warm in the house and uncomfortable when you first get back."
One way you can help control the temperature inside your home, if you happen to be away, is with the help of a smart thermostat, where anyone can set the thermostat to a schedule.
"Like most people, if they're out of the house between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., a lot of times your unit, if you leave it on, is gonna be running and cooling a house that no one is going to be in. It's a little bit of a waste of energy and your money," Mullen said. "What I do is I set a routine, I know when I'm going to be home Monday through Friday, so I set it a little bit warmer during the day because no one's going to be home, and then I turn it to the desired temperature about an hour before I get home. So by the time I get home, it's nice and cool and refreshing."
What should people be considering to ensure their air conditioner is running optimally not just for this summer, but for years to come? Mullen says it's important to get someone to come out and check out the unit once a year.
"A lot of times, people ask when's the best time to do it. Really, the best time to do it, springtime is great, but if you want to do it later in the summer after the cottonwoods in the area have kind of fallen all over; a lot of times what happens is your condenser, the unit outside gets full of cottonwoods and then that restricts your airflow," he said. "Another thing homeowners can do is take their hose, if they're able to, and wash down your condenser outside. A lot of times what happens is leaves, dirt, cottonwoods will get in there and that'll restrict it. Those are a couple easy things you can do."
One point Cortese can't emphasize enough to ensure long-term longevity with your air conditioner is think opposite season.
"You want to have it serviced when you don't need it. You want to make sure when you do need it, it's running on tip-top efficiency. And the only way you can do that is to have it serviced when you don't need it," Cortese said. "Also keep on top of your filters. Make sure they're clean and operating with good air flow, so that you're getting the maximum airflow out of the system."
