Orlando, Tampa, & Jacksonville Air Conditioning Educational Center

As record sub-freezing temperatures have hit Florida this week from Jacksonville to Tampa, many homeowners have turned their thermostats up substantially to stay warm inside their homes.  This may well work from a comfort point of view…..until the Discomfort of the Utility Bill arrives and all of last summer’s utility bill records are broken.  This makes sense when you consider the following: When it’s 93 degrees outside in the summer and you want it to be 78 degrees inside, you are only asking your system to adjust the temperature by 15 degrees.  But when it’s 35 degrees outside and you want it to be 72 degrees inside, you are asking your system to overcome a 37 degree difference, more than twice as much as the summer differential.  Obviously your system is going to run longer and harder to accomplish this.

It is generally recommended that you try to keep your thermostat at 78 degrees during the summer and 68 degrees during the winter for both comfort and efficiency.  For each degree you lower it below 78 degrees in the summer and each degree you raise it above 68 degrees in the winter, you are impacting your heating and cooling use by between     5-7%.   So, if you must have it 74 degrees when it is 35 degrees outside, you are going to pay between 30-40% more in heating costs more for that comfort than if you were able to be comfortable at 68 degrees.  Does that extra sweater or extra pair of sock look good, now???  Try to layer clothes to stay warmer both outside and inside…and turn that thermostat down to 68!  Also, make sure, if it’s going to be a reasonably warm day, to open your blinds and drapes to capture the radiant heat but then close them at night to keep that heat trapped inside your home.  Little things like this, and making sure you have a clean filter in your AC/Heating system, can make big differences in your overall utility bill.

If your system requires service or is beginning to show its age, be sure to call Air Flow Designs today to have a qualified Technician or Comfort Advisor come to you home and discuss what can be done to save you energy $’s in both the short and long term.  Call 321-397-2117 in Central Florida or call 904-398-0831 in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.  For our Tampa Bay location, call 813-961-7887 or call 1-800-AIR-FLO1 for any of our areas served. Or you can visit us on the web at www.airflowdesigns.com.     Be sure to ask about our Current Specials and about the federal government’s tax credit of up to $1,500.00.  Call TODAY to start saving!! Why continue to pay your utility company more than you have to….and many of them will even help you invest in your new system with rebates as well!!!