A few months ago, I started noticing that our electric bills kept going up.
Since it was during the summer, I couldn’t understand why it was happening since our house never seemed cool enough – despite the fact that I kept turning the thermostat cooler and cooler.
First I called our energy company to inquire about my rising bills. They suggested that we call a heating and cooling specialist who could check for any leaks in my air conditioning system. The next day I called our HVAC contractor about the problem. He offered a few tips that I could try on my own to find any leaks in the system. He said that most air conditioner leaks came from windows, doors and outlets. He said that sometimes just by placing your hand next to them, you might feel the leaks. Another method he suggested is to light an incense stick and walk around the house with it, holding it near suspected leaks. If the smoke blows sideways, you’ve found your leak. If there’s a small crack, he told me that I could easily seal it with weather stripping, spray foam, or caulk. After sealing any cracks in the system, he said that I should still call him back to inspect the system and possibly perform an a/c tune-up. But in the event that I couldn’t locate the leaks, he said that it’s imperative that a professional HVAC technician take care of it. He assured me that whichever method I chose, my home would be more energy efficient and lower cooling costs would result.