Air Conditioning Repairs That May Be Needed When Your Power Bills Are Too High
If your power bill keeps getting higher, you might think it's just another cost increase due to the economy. However, you might be paying more than you need to if your air conditioner isn't working properly.
Your AC is responsible for a large part of your electric bill, so if the air conditioner is not operating efficiently, your bill may be higher than necessary. Here are some things that can cause your power bill to be too high and the air conditioning repairs that might help.
The Refrigerant Is Leaking
If the refrigerant in your AC is leaking out, your AC won't work properly. It may shut on and off, but it will probably need to run longer than usual to reach the temperature on your thermostat. If your AC runs too long, it drives up your power bill.
To fix this problem, the air conditioning repair technician has to find the leak and repair it. First, they need to empty the rest of the refrigerant. Then they repair the leak, and when that's done, they fill the refrigerant to the proper level.
The Evaporator Coil Has Ice
If the evaporator coil in your air handler has ice on it, the refrigerant can't work very well. The refrigerant may be full but since the coil is coated in ice, the refrigerant can't pull heat from your house. This causes your AC to turn on and off quickly, or short cycle. This means your AC starts up more often during the day, and that can drive up your power bill.
In order to fix this problem, the air conditioning repair technician has to figure out why the ice formed on the coils. A common reason is a dirty air conditioner. The technician may scrub the dirt off the coils and change the filter to get your AC functioning properly again.
An Air Duct Has A Leak
If one of your ducts has a leak, chilled air will leak out before it reaches your ducts. That might make it harder for your AC to cool your house, and as a result, your air conditioner needs to run longer than usual. That affects your power bill.
An air conditioning repair technician needs to troubleshoot your system to determine whether the problem is a duct leak. Then they can tape up the leak or replace the duct so your AC can shut off and turn on normally again.
If your power bills seem much higher than last year, or if your bill continues to increase over the summer, call an air conditioning repair service to check your equipment. You don't want to pay more than you should, especially if a few repairs will get your bill back where it used to be.
Contact a local air conditioning repair service, such as Mills Brothers Climate Control, to learn more.
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