CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The upcoming week will be the hottest of the year thus far, and could even break records.
The heat index could feel hotter than 100 degrees on multiple days this week, with temperatures soaring into the high 90s.
With the rising temperatures comes the need to turn on the air conditioner. And while that could bring relief to your home, it may not necessarily bring relief to your wallet or to your air-conditioning unit.
“If your equipment hasn’t been keeping up already and you’re waiting until it’s 100 out to then make a call and have potential issues to address, that’s a mistake,” Super Cool HVAC owner Mitchell Demitruk said. “I would say probably 10, 20 percent of the calls…could’ve been done by preventative cleaning.”
Demitruk said that changing your filters is an important step to protect your unit.
As for how to cut down on air-conditioning costs, Duke Energy spokesperson Logan Kureczka offered some advice.
“Raising your temperature while you’re at home, even by just two degrees, it’s going to help reduce your cooling costs by five percent,” Kureczka said. “So if you can stand those extra couple of degrees, it really will help you save on energy.”
“Sometimes on those cooler nights, it’s tempting to give the AC unit a rest just by opening your windows,” he said. “I think a lot of people do that, I know that I’ve been guilty of that. But it’s generally better to keep the windows closed because it helps to keep dryer, cooler air in.”
Summer is coming, and experts say the time to prepare your air conditioner is now, not when temperatures are consistently flirting with triple digits.
Related: Experts say now is the time to prepare your air conditioner as summer heat approaches
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