Clean or replace your air filter regularly with pleated filters, every month if possible, particularly if you have pets in your home. A clogged filter restricts airflow and as a result your air conditioner will work longer to maintain the temperature. In addition to changing your filters regularly, it is recommended that your air ducts be cleaned every 5 to 10 years.

Find a comfortable automatic setting for your home thermostat and try to leave it there. Turning your thermostat off when you leave for work can be counter productive. You will spend more energy trying to re-cool your house than if you had not adjusted your thermostat in the first place.

Air conditioners, like other machines, wear out over time and become inefficient. This results in higher electrical costs. If your system is more than 10 years old, contact Riffle’s Air & Heat to find out how you can get a more energy efficient system.

Many things can determine the size capacity system your home requires. For example: Living area of house, climate, humidity, insulation, direction of home. Let Riffle’s do an energy calculation of your home and help you decide what your energy needs are for your home.

SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). The amount of cooling your unit, (air conditioner or heat pump), delivers per every electricity dollar spent. The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the system.

A Heat Pump, a reverse cycle air conditioner, cools and heats by moving heat in or out of your home while a Straight Cool is an air conditioner which uses different sources for heating. It can work with natural gas, oil , an LP gas furnace, or electric furnace.

Your A/C unit should generally be serviced twice a year, around Spring & Fall to assure it is working at its peak performance. Call Riffle’s for our preventive maintenance inspections.

Zoning is a method of dividing a home into different areas and each area's heating and air conditioning comfort is independently controlled. Therefore you can control the east side of your home along with west side, and the third zone can take care of everything in the middle. If you have an upstairs then you can add a 4th zone.

Shrubs should not be closer than 18 inches to your outdoor unit. To operate efficiently the unit needs space to take in and blow out air. Also keep in mind that there is a service panel on your unit which must be accessible to the service technician if your unit needs to be worked on. There needs to be at least a 2 feet clearance in front of of this panel.

If the room has a large area of exposed glass, keep curtains or blinds closed during daylight hours, particularly at times when the sun would shine directly in. You might also ask your air conditioning contractor to check whether you are getting enough air in that room. There may be a problem with your duct system.

Contact Riffle’s Air & Heat to receive the best instructions about your drain line and what to do to keep it clear.