3 Ways Your Thermostat May Be Making Your Air Conditioning Worse

The thermostat is a small device that is designed to sit on the wall of your home and draw little attention to itself. But your thermostat may need some attention—probably attention from HVAC professionals. If you have an outdated or miscalibrated thermostat, it can have a large effect on your summer air conditioning. High bills, poor AC performance, and hot spots throughout the house are all problems that a poor thermostat can cause. Below are three of the ways that the thermostat in your home may be causing trouble for your air conditioning right now.

1. It is an imprecise, outdated manual thermostat

Manual thermostats are still around. But digital, programmable, and “smart” thermostats have long superseded them. Although a manual thermostat is still capable of doing the basic job of setting temperatures in a house, they are imprecise and even upgrading to a no-frills digital model will save you money. The current cutting edge thermostats with multiple programs and Wi-Fi connections can do marvels at energy-conservation.

2. It is miscalibrated

Even if a thermostat reads the temperature of your house incorrectly by a few degrees, it will trigger wasteful behavior from your air conditioner and may even lead to damaging short-cycling. You should have the thermostat checked as part of annual maintenance to see if it needs recalibration.

3. It is in the wrong part of your home

The location of a thermostat is vital for it to function accurately. If it was originally installed in a place where it receives drafts or direct sunlight, it will often radically misread a house’s temperature. If your thermostat was poorly installed, have professionals put in a new thermostat in an ideal, centrally-located position in the house.

If you suspect that an aging or malfunctioning thermostat is making it difficult to effectively and efficiently air condition your home, you need to call HVAC professionals. Experienced technicians will look over the entire heating and cooling system and determine if the thermostat is part of the problem, and then advise about repairs or upgrades. (It you still have manual thermostats, you should definitely upgrade if you possibly can.)

For air conditioning service in Woodland Hills, CA on which you can rely, call Mediterranean Heating and Air Conditioning. Our 40 years of experience in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties make us ideal to see to your thermostat needs.