3 tips to save your home's A/C

The heat we've been hearing about in Colorado and other places out west is finally arriving in the Tri State. That means your air conditioning could be struggling the next few days.

But there are three things you can do to give it a hand.

With brutal near 100-degree heat in the forecast, fans and air conditioners will be running full tilt the next few days.

But an older unit will be taxed, and could work too hard, causing premature compressor failure. This happens when the coolant level is too low, and the compressor runs and runs for hours nonstop.

What you can do

So the US Department of Energy offers tips to help it keep your home cool, and not tax your air conditioner.

1.  Thermostat: Turn up your thermostat to 78, or if it's already 78, up to 80.  80 will feel cool when it is 98 outside.

2 .Cooking/drying:  Do not run your clothes dryer until after 7 p.m., and don't use your oven at all. The less hot food you have to cook on the stove, the better.

3. Doors and windows:  Close the bathroom window that you always leave open.  Pull closed all drapes and blinds that are hit by sun.  And if your basement is cool, leave the door to it open to get a little of that cool air mixed into your home (a small fan can push it up the stairs).

Finally, if you can't remember the last time you changed your air conditioner's filter, do it now: A dust-filled filter makes it work much harder.

Just a few simple things so you don't have to call the overbooked the a/c repairman, and so you don't waste your money.
    
Do you have any other tips to keep your home cool?  Please post them below.
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