How To Improve AC Efficiency With Proper Insulation
Living in the desert city of Las Vegas, NV, requires an air conditioner. More importantly, you need an efficient system that will keep your home cool without inflating your electric bill. The best way to ensure your air conditioner gives you peak performance is to properly insulate your house so the cool air indoors can’t escape.
At Summit Air Conditioning, we want you to keep your home cool for comfort and safety, giving you the peace of mind you deserve. If you’re not careful, the Las Vegas heat can cause health problems, so let us show you how to improve AC efficiency with proper insulation — that way, you’ll never have to sweat through the summer months.
Understanding Insulation and Its Role
Insulation makes a world of difference no matter where you live, but it especially helps improve home AC efficiency in Las Vegas, NV, residences. Insulation keeps cool air inside the home and stops hot air from entering it. The reverse is also true in the winter; it will keep the heat inside your home so you don’t suffer the cold as our temperatures occasionally dip below freezing when December rolls around.
Insulation can improve AC efficiency and save money on your energy bill. Your home will stay near your desired temperature, and your air conditioner won’t have to use as much energy to cool it down. Without insulation, your home’s temperature will heat up faster, making your air conditioner work harder to bring it back down, which could lead to the need for more frequent air conditioner repairs.
Types of Insulation
Insulation comes in various forms for different purposes. The type of insulation you need will vary based on your home’s design, your budget, and your preference for eco-friendly materials.
Fiberglass Insulation
If you’ve ever seen the cotton candy-like fluff in your attic or walls, you’re already familiar with fiberglass insulation. It usually comes in pink or yellow, and though it may look like a sweet treat, avoid touching it without safety gear. The fiberglass shards may irritate your skin and eyes or cause respiratory issues if you breathe them in.
Fiberglass insulation is ideal for insulating floors, attics, and walls. It’s available in rolls, making it easy to fill the spaces between beams and boards. A major downside to fiberglass is that it loses volume over time. Replace it when you notice your home is not cooling or heating as efficiently as it used to.
Spray Foam Insulation
Spray foam insulation is perfect for sealing hard-to-reach areas around pipes next to walls or in tight corners. It comes out as a somewhat liquid substance that expands and hardens within seconds. The result creates a cool, airtight seal that prevents hot air from passing through.
Spray foam is more expensive, so you may not want to use it for your entire house. However, it will last a long time, and when left in perfect condition, you can get up to 80 years out of it. In the grand scheme of things, it’s one of the best ways to save money on energy costs.
Cellulose Insulation
For a more eco-friendly insulation option, consider cellulose, which consists of recycled fire-retardant paper. It’s often applied as a loose filling rather than in a packed roll like fiberglass, but the density of the paper allows it to trap in the air well, keeping your home cool. It’s commonly used in attics but also works well in walls.
Rigid Foam Insulation
Rigid foam comes in panels. It can be cut to fit any space, making it great insulation for roofs, foundations, and walls.
How Proper Insulation Improves AC Efficiency
Proper insulation is one of the best ways to improve AC efficiency. It will save you money and keep you comfortable, both of which are necessary in the hot Mojave Desert.
Reduces Heat Gain
The sun will beat down on your roof, but you won’t notice it if your home is properly insulated. Insulating your roof and attic will keep the cool air in your home and the hot air out. An uninsulated home will grow hotter throughout the day, but your insulated home will stay at a consistent temperature or will at least not warm as quickly.
Maintains Consistent Indoor Temperatures
Keeping cool is a must, especially when the record high temperature in Las Vegas, NV, is 120 degrees Fahrenheit! Avoid heat exhaustion, dehydration, and, on a less serious note, irritability by keeping your home at a comfortable temperature throughout the day despite the heat outside.
Reduces Strain on AC Components
You may be more likely to replace your air conditioner in Las Vegas if you overwork the system in an attempt to keep your home cool. The air conditioner unit might have to stay on longer to meet your desired temperature, which means the fans and coils will be operating continually. The more a system is on, the sooner you’ll have to replace parts; that’s just the nature of wear and tear.
When your home is properly insulated, you don’t have to keep your air conditioner unit on all the time. You can allow it to take breaks and not wear out as fast. As a result, you will save money by not having to repair or replace the unit as often.
Lowers Energy Costs
Air conditioners require a lot of energy to function as intended. When your unit always runs to cool an uninsulated home, it will use more electricity. You won’t notice until you see the energy bill. Keep an eye on your monthly utility costs, as a steady increase may indicate that your insulation isn’t what it used to be.
Enhances Overall Home Comfort
Though staying cool can prevent serious health complications like heat exhaustion, sometimes you just want to be comfortable for the sake of feeling good, and that’s okay. Keeping your home at a steady cool temperature will give you that relieving “ahh!” feeling whenever you come in from outside.
Areas To Insulate for Maximum Efficiency
Insulation isn’t restricted to walls, nor should it be. Insulate your entire home to improve AC efficiency drastically so you don’t have to pay more than necessary for your energy bill.
Attic Insulation
Insulating the attic well is an important step to keeping your home cool. It’s the part of your home that will heat up the quickest since it’s just under the roof. Insulate the attic’s roof, walls, and floor so hot air can’t seep through into your home.
Fiberglass insulation is the most popular option because it is affordable, but consider that mice and other vermin can chew through it. It also becomes less effective over time, and you may have to replace it every 10 to 25 years. Consider injection foam insulation if you plan to live in the same house for the rest of your life since it can last up to 80 years, provided it doesn’t endure any damage.
Wall Insulation
The walls might be your most expensive insulation cost because you’ll need so much of it, but the money it will save you over the years will make it well worth the investment. Your cool air will escape through uninsulated walls, so don’t skimp on the outer walls.
Floor Insulation
Insulate the floor to avoid drafts and keep your feet comfortable. The ground produces a lot of heat that will seep into your home if you don’t have proper insulation, especially if your home is over a crawl space or uninsulated basement.
Ductwork Insulation
Insulating air ducts might be the best way to improve AC efficiency. Air blows through the ducts and out of the vents. If air seeps out of the ducts in transit, your home won’t feel as cool. If the ducts release air in rooms you closed off or don’t spend time in, you’re wasting money by cooling rooms you don’t even use.
This issue will also affect hot air in the winter when trying to stay warm on a cold day.
Windows and Doors
Insulating windows and doors is a different process, but it’s just as important as the rest of the home. They can develop cracks around them that allow cool air to escape. The glass should also be insulated to prevent heat from coming through with the sunshine.
What Are the Benefits of Attic Insulation?
Insulating the attic comes with many benefits you won’t want to miss out on. It will help you:
- Improve AC efficiency: You won’t have to leave your air conditioner on all day, allowing the many parts inside to last longer while keeping filters cleaner.
- Stop losing air: Cool air can seep out of the attic if it isn’t insulated. When your air escapes, you’re giving the electric company free money.
- Reduce installation frequency: You’ll need a new air conditioner installed more frequently when you let your air run all the time. By insulating your attic, you can reduce the number of times you have to replace the entire unit.
Additional Tips for Improving AC Efficiency
Air conditioner efficiency matters a lot in Las Vegas, NV. Aside from insulating your entire home, these small steps can save you money each year.
Schedule Regular AC Maintenance
Regular air conditioner maintenance in Las Vegas is a no-brainer. Scheduling our AC maintenance service once or twice each year will keep your unit in the best condition. Our technicians can spot problems before they arise, allowing you to save money and keep the same unit for a long time.
Use a Programmable Thermostat
Use a thermostat you can program to turn on and off at different times of the day. By changing the temperature of your home while you’re asleep or out of the house, you can reduce your energy bill.
Keep Vents and Registers Clear
Keep all vents and registers clear in your home so air can flow freely. Blocking the spaces where air comes out will reduce your system’s efficiency and prevent your home from being as cool as possible.
Keep vent grilles open and ensure furniture doesn’t cover vents on walls or floors. Hire annual maintenance to clean your air ducts if you suspect they’re clogged or not working as efficiently as they should. Vent grilles can get dirty, so clean them periodically as you notice dust building up on them.
Use Ceiling Fans
To make your home as cool (or cold) as you’d like it to be, you’d probably have to keep the air on all day, especially if the Las Vegas weather tries to set new record highs. Ceiling fans will help you cut down on energy bills by making rooms feel more comfortable. Since you’ll have air actively cooling you, you can set the thermostat to a higher temperature so the air conditioner won’t have to come on as often.
Close Curtains and Blinds
Nothing beats sunshine on a summer day, but it might heat your house too much, especially if your windows are poorly insulated. Cover the windows during the hottest part of the day to keep your home cool and prevent the air conditioner from overworking.
If you have well-insulated windows, you may be able to forgo doing this and enjoy the sun all day. However, if you want to save money on your next electric bill, consider investing in blackout curtains that will block the sun completely. You will notice a difference and might even get a peaceful nap out of the deal.
Schedule Regular AC Maintenance
You can improve AC efficiency with proper home insulation and regular air conditioner maintenance. Call Summit Air Conditioning today at (702) 819-0839 to book an appointment for air conditioner maintenance.
Insulating your home will allow your air conditioner to cool your home efficiently without having to work harder. Humans like to work smarter, not harder, so why shouldn’t your air conditioner? When you pair good home insulation with other energy-saving techniques, you can feel good knowing you’re using your air conditioner in a financially and environmentally friendly way despite how indulgently cool it feels.