LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The heat can take a toll on your air conditioner and power bill. As temperatures soar, hundreds of A/C units across the valley are breaking down.
Goettl Air Conditioning and Plumbing had a busy weekend as temperatures soared to 113 degrees. During a heatwave, the company has an average of more than 80 calls a day.
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“This weekend it was very busy,” said Ryan Elliott, project manager for Goettl Air Conditioning. “We have a couple hundred broken unit calls that came in over the weekend. Even today, we had 54 demand calls or broken units this morning.”
Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing takes in an average of 80+ calls a day during heatwaves. They say a key to making sure your AC runs smoothly all year: regular maintenance and cleaning pic.twitter.com/SPgIM0ekY3
— Kelsey McFarland (@KelseyMarie_TV) July 13, 2020
Elliott says a big part of keeping an A/C unit healthy is keeping it clean, especially when you live in a dusty and hot climate.
“We live in a big dust bowl, ultimately the units get dirty and the coils outside and up in the attic are ultimately like a radiator. When they get impacted with dirt it makes the unit work a lot harder and then you ultimately have premature failure,” Elliott added.
Elliott says keeping your coils and air filter pristine also helps with energy efficiency.
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“Keep your thermostat at a set point, don’t change it a bunch. Find somewhere you like and keep it there and ultimately change your filter four times a year,” Elliott said.
NV Energy suggests keeping your thermostat at 78 to 80 degrees while you’re home and keeping it five to 10 degrees warmer at night or when you’re not around.
Reducing heat coming into your home from any source can reduce the load on your air conditioner, so NV Energy suggests barbecuing outdoors if you can. If you do cook indoors, try to do so as late in the evening as possible. That goes for using the dishwasher and doing a load of laundry, too.
